Prank War
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: When Terry agreed to stand in for Mia as she recovered, and Emily, Mike and Antonio decided to haze him, they had no idea what they let themselves in for!
1. Chapter 1

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be presumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – May be some mild adult language and themes.

A couple of days passed, and things were going well around the Shiba House. Terry, much as his sister had predicted, was steadily progressing under Jayden and Kevin's watchful eye. Just as she had assured him, while he didn't excel in any area, he also wasn't terrible at anything, and so on the whole they had a pretty good foundation to work with. He was still never going to end up the level of Jayden or Kevin in the month or so he would have left as a stand-in for Mia, but at least he managed to convince everyone that he would pull his weight when the time came for battle.

His hair was almost completely back to normal too. There were a couple of pink streaks still in it, but the symbol-energy that Emily and Mike had put into the goo that their Serrator piñata had splattered him with was dissipating, allowing his hair to return to his natural raven black. His clothes were already back to normal, which was a blessing in and of itself, meaning he didn't have to walk around looking like something from a candy commercial.

As Kevin managed to disarm him, before knocking him to the mat, Jayden just called a halt to his training.

"Well, you're definitely getting better." Jayden complimented him. "I'd say that starting tomorrow; you're ready to join the others in standard training."

"Hey, that's great!" Emily complimented him.

"Yeah, now you'll be training with the rest of us!" Mike added. Terry just nodded.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." He told them.

"Alright guys, hit the showers." Jayden told them. "You've all worked really hard today, you should be proud of yourselves."

With that, they all started to head off inside. Terry came over to where his sister was sitting with Serena, playing a game of chess in the garden. He took a seat with them, considering the board.

"It's been a week." Terry reminded Mia. "I really should take a look at your arm."

"I'll be finished here in a little while." Mia told him. "How was Ji?"

"He seems to be healing up nicely." Terry assured her. One of the fringe benefits to having Terry in the house was his level of knowledge with medicine. Although Ji's skills were impressive, and Mia was also accomplished with first aid, Terry was a medical student, meaning that he had seen and performed tasks neither of them ever had. Given that both their best first aid practitioners were already hurt, it was nice to have someone that could take care of them for a change. "I'll need to take the cast off to get a good look."

"I said I'll be finished in a minute." Mia reminded him, moving a bishop. Serena furrowed her brows as she checked the board, and Terry could see that she was struggling to think of a move. Terry had played chess with Mia many times over the years, and was very familiar with her game. Terry just smiled and stopped Serena's hand as she went for a knight. Picking up the queen, he moved it a couple of squares, at which Mia and Serena just shot forward in their seats. Serena pumped her fists in the air after checking the board.

"I guess you were right when you said you'd be done soon." Terry told his sister. "Come on, I'll take a look at that arm now."

"Hey Mia, your brother can help me out any time!" Serena said with a smile. "That's the first time I've ever beaten you!"

"Yeah yeah, enjoy it while it lasts!" Mia replied as Terry took her inside. She went to the kitchen with him, at which he laid out a mat on the counter and placed her cast down. He got a hold of Ji's medical kit and started to inspect the cast, picking up a cutter.

"So, you're joining the others in training tomorrow?" She complimented him. "Not bad for being here for a week."

"Yeah, I guess that should help." Terry answered her as he started to get to work, starting to cut open the cast.

"Terry, I just have to say, I'm impressed." Mia told him. "Not just about your progress either."

"I don't know what you mean." He said as he continued his task. He put the cutter down, and grabbed the cast, pulling it open. He took Mia's arm gently, and started to inspect it, making sure that everything was progressing well.

"You haven't done anything to the others." Mia responded. "I mean, after that prank..."

"That prank was pretty good." He chuckled. "And who says I'm not going to do anything?"

"Terry..."

"The best time to catch someone is to give them a day or two, make them think you've given them a pass." He explained. He put her arm down. "Ji seems to have done a good job with this. Everything seems to be in order; it'll just take a little time to apply a new one."

"Terry, what did you do?" Mia asked him. He just smirked as he gathered the things he would need for the new cast.

"I think another month should be all it'll take." He said to Mia, completely ignoring her question. Mia just looked a little annoyed.

"Terry..."

"It's a clean break, and I'm sure if I had an x-ray, I'd be able to show you it knitting nicely." He continued.

"Terry, don't ignore me!" Mia screeched. "Please, they're my friends!"

"Mia, they started it." Terry told her.

"Well, at least, please promise me you won't take things too far." She begged him. Just then, there was a scream coming from Mike's room, and he gave her a knowing smirk.

"I have no idea what you mean." He told her as he started to work on her new cast. Just then, Mike came into the room, dressed only in a towel, and with a thick, brown, sticky fluid dripping down him. He looked to Terry, and started to flail wildly.

"Terry!" He yelled at him. "What the hell?"

"It's amazing what you can do with beef stock cubes and a shower fitting." Terry told him. "Gotcha!"

With that, Mike stomped back into his room. Mia just started laughing.

"Alright, that one was pretty good." She admitted. Terry just nodded in appreciation.

"One down, two to go." He told her. Mia just shook her head.

"I guess it's pointless to ask you to quit while you're ahead." She stated. "Just promise me that you won't take things too far like you used to."

"Alright." He sighed. "I'll keep things tame." He turned his attention back to the cast, wrapping the damp strips around Mia's arm. Mia just gave him an unconvinced look. She had a feeling she was going to have to keep an eye on this situation.

In another part of town, Ji arrived at Brenda's apartment. It had been a couple of days since he had seen her, so when she called him, he was only too happy to go. She answered the door, finding him standing there, holding a bouquet and some chocolates.

"Well, there's a sight for sore eyes." He stated, leaning in and kissing her softly. She moved just a little, letting him find her cheek. She guided him into the apartment, keen to get him inside where she knew the protective symbols would ensure Dekker wouldn't be able to get to him. He made his way inside, putting down the chocolates. "I'll just go and find a vase for..."

"Ji, please, just leave the flowers for a bit." She told him. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Ji just made his way to the couch, and took a seat. Brenda sat with him, and took his hand. Ji seemed to become a little unsettled, sensing that she had something important to say.

"Brenda, please what is it?" He asked her. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Ji, it's about us." She told him. "Ji, I'm...I'm pregnant."

Ji looked completely stunned by what she had said. From the moment he had brought the Rangers into his home, he knew that the possibility was there that a few budding romances would come about. When their parents had been called, they were all a little older, and already had families of their own, but the timing of the current team's call meant that none of them were attached. That, combined with their age meant he was always aware of the possibility of hormones and youthful exuberance leading to them making choices they might not be able to take back.

"Are...are you sure?" He asked her. Brenda just nodded her head.

"I did three separate tests." She told him. She held his hand tightly. "Ji, please, say something!"

He pulled her in, holding her tightly. He was scared; trying to imagine what was to come. As a younger man, he had imagined having a family, but over time, he had long since put the idea out of his mind. His years serving the Shiba Clan, followed by his years raising Jayden, he hadn't found the right woman. He had considered Jayden to be his son, and poured the devotion he would have given his own children into raising him. He had never considered the eventuality he would have children of his own.

"Ji, I'm scared." She told him.

"I am too." He admitted, releasing her a little. "So, um...I guess we need to talk about what we plan to do."

"Are you talking about...?"

"No, Brenda not at all, I would never ask that." Ji told her. "I was just thinking...where we would live, how we would get by..."

"You mean, you want to keep it?" She asked him. Ji just sighed and smiled at her.

"It is your body, and ultimately your decision." He told her. "And I can't deny I have some concerns. I am not getting any younger, but I will support you every step of the way."

She couldn't say anything, instead finding herself overcome with joy. He was as nervous as her, that much was clear, but in the end, he was willing to stand by her. She held him tightly, feeling the warmth of his arms. In that moment, she found herself saying something she never thought she would.

"I'll do it." She told him as she parted from him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She just nodded.

"If I can do this with anyone, it's with you." She answered. Ji kissed her passionately. He couldn't imagine loving anyone more.

In the yard outside Spike's house, Melanie, Mal, Jimmy, Vicky and Cody had arrived, carrying backpacks, packed for their trip. They had left it a little while, so that Mal could move back into his parents' place, and have a couple of days to get back into the way of things, but now they were all getting ready for their trip.

Spike was talking with them excitedly, telling them all about the times his mom used to take him paintballing. Back when she was with the SWAT unit, they often used such facilities to train, and Kimberly had taken Spike a few times in order to spend time with him. It had been a few years since his last trip mainly because once Kim had retired from the SWAT team; she didn't spend as much time with her former colleagues. Still, now that he knew that the camp they were going to was run by a couple of her old team mates, he was incredibly excited to see them again.

As they shared a laugh, Bulk came into the driveway in a mini-van he had rented to take them out to the camp. Although he was sure that Spike would be able to get there by train, he had insisted that he would take them, just so he would get to spend a little more time with him before he would be away from him for a week.

"Alright kids, the Combat Camp express is ready to board!" He announced. Spike threw his backpack into the back, before grabbing Vicky's. His hand briefly touched hers as he did so.

"Um...I can help you with that." He told her. Vicky just smiled and let go of the bag, letting Spike load it up. Jimmy and Cody were busy with their own stuff, while Mal and Melanie climbed into the back, getting ready for the trip.

"I'm telling you guys, the more I hear about this place they set up, the better it sounds!" Spike told them, booting up his laptop to show them the web site for the camp. "It says here they have all kinds of scenarios, some of which are based on some of their former missions and training scenarios!"

"Yeah, you told us Spike." Mal reminded him. "About three or four hundred times!"

"Oh." He commented. "Well, did I tell you that the meals..."

"The meals are prepared by a catering team to satisfy all dietary requirements!" Melanie giggled. "I think you told Mal that one about six hundred times."

"Oh." He continued. Vicky just shoved the back of her headrest.

"Hey, stop being mean." She told them. "It's only natural Spike's excited. These guys are friends of his mom's. He hasn't seen them in a few years!"

"Come on, we're just teasing." Jimmy assured her.

"Yeah, all of us are excited!" Cody added as Bulk did his final checks, before starting off down the road. "This'll be my first holiday away from home!"

"Ours too." Jimmy added, gesturing to himself and his sister, before looking to Spike. "Your parents are really cool to manage to arrange this."

"Yeah, well, I'd still have liked to see them for a little while." He sighed, closing up his laptop. He then smiled and gestured down the road. "Uncle Bulk, the freeway's..."

"I know the turning Spike!" Bulk chuckled. "I'm not the one that doesn't have a licence."

As they turned onto the freeway, the kids all let out whoops of excitement. After the year they'd had, all of them were looking forward to the holiday.

Back at the Shiba House, Mike had finally managed to clean out the shower head, and had another shower to clean up. Emily was just glad Mike had been the first to use the shower. Antonio had checked his own shower head following the incident, only to find that it was empty. By virtue of the fact that he shared a room with Jayden, he could only presume that he didn't want to take the chance that he would get the wrong victim.

Mia was sitting in the main room, reading when Serena came in, still chuckling about the thought of Mike being doused in beef broth. Mia just sighed and looked up to her.

"You know, Emily was part of that prank too." Mia reminded her. Serena just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, she's tough enough to take what she gets." Serena assured her. "Besides, if he goes too far, he'll have me to deal with."

Serena sat with Mia, looking to her, inspecting the work on her cast.

"Your brother seems to know his stuff." She commented.

"I should hope so, they're going to let him loose on real patients soon enough." Mia answered. Serena looked out a marker pen, and took off the cap, beginning to sign the cast.

"Emily will be alright won't she?" Serena asked her. "I know he's your brother Mia, but if..."

"He's already promised me that he won't let things get out of hand." Mia assured her. "But if he does, I know you'll only give him what he deserves."

Just then, Terry came down the hall from the kitchen. Serena looked to him and smiled.

"Nice job with the stock cube." She complimented him. "Where did you learn that one?"

"I first used that one on the other med students in the shower room." He informed her. "They couldn't prove anything."

"I really wish I had some pictures..."

"Oh, there are pictures." Terry assured her, pulling out his I-phone. "I always record my work for posterity."

Serena saw a few pictures of Mike, dripping with the brown, sticky fluid, and started laughing.

"I so need that as a wallpaper for my phone." She giggled.

"You want a picture of your future brother-in-law half naked?" Mia asked her. "I don't think Emily would like that too much."

"So, have you got anything else planned?" Serena asked Terry. He just gave her an evil smirk.

"Always." He assured her. "Let's just say, Antonio's not got long to wait for some sweet revenge."


	2. Dekker's Present

In his cave, Dekker was busy practicing with the Bane of Life, awaiting further instructions from Serrator, that or another visit from his co-conspirators Dayu or Octoroo. Things had not been going at all according to plan for anyone recently. The only one who had made any form of progress in any pursuit was Dekker.

Both the Black and Pink Rangers were now out of action for the foreseeable future, just like Dayu, Octoroo and Serrator. However, the Black Ranger had not used his down time to feel sorry for himself. As a result of his attempt to take on the Green Ranger, something that eventually turned out to be a trick, a lure made from symbol power, he had found out that he had learned to increase the scope of the security symbols they used to include half-Nighlock. He had been repelled violently from Brenda's apartment, and he was sure that he could be certain they would have done the same to the Shiba House. He also knew from watching that they would not go anywhere alone. While he had no fear about going against all the Rangers at once, if he wanted to do as Serrator wanted, to take one of them out of action, then he would need to be able to focus on them.

He felt a presence and turned, seeing Dayu standing behind him. He just let out a little laugh.

"You're taking chances aren't you?" He asked her. She just shrugged, though as a result of the burns, she was clearly in pain doing so.

"I have spent centuries risking such things with Xandred." She reminded him. "I am more than used to finding the opportunities to move unnoticed."

"He is not on the Junk?" Dekker asked her. She just shook her head.

"He has been spending a lot of time searching for something." She informed him. "What he's searching for, I don't know."

"I tire of all this waiting." He sighed, taking a seat. "These games test my patience!"

"We all tire of waiting for Serrator's move." She agreed. "But until he makes it, we're all in the same position. None of us can risk making a move. It's like playing chess without being able to see the board."

Just then, she stopped. She could sense something coming. Disappearing into a gap, she waited to see what was happening. One of the advantages of being a half-Nighock was that they could sense the energy of Nighlock, but it was a lot harder for the Nighlock to do the same because of their human halves. It had been one of the factors that had kept them safe any time they were being hunted across the centuries.

Serrator came into the cave, approaching Dekker. The Cursed Warrior just looked to him and smirked.

"Is this where I receive new instructions?" He asked him. Serrator just nodded.

"I see you have failed in the game I have set for you." Serrator taunted him. Dekker just raised a brow.

"Failed?" Dekker asked him. "Last time I checked, the Rangers were now two short."

"They are only one short!" Serrator snapped in response. "Were you not paying attention to their last battle? Did you not see what they did to...?"

"The Black and Pink Rangers could not have come back so quickly!" Dekker snapped at him. Serrator chucked.

"Well, perhaps you didn't do as good a job with the Pink Ranger as you thought you did." Serrator said as he showed Dekker an image of the battle against the Shark Nighlock. Dekker watched, and couldn't understand what he saw.

"But...that's not possible!" He stated.

"Well, it happened." Serrator commented. "Perhaps I overestimated you."

"Well, you did say you need ME for your plans." Dekker stated. "Perhaps you should mind your tone."

"The Rangers regain their strength each day, and there is nothing you can do to stop it." Serrator taunted him.

"Let's just see about that." Dekker stated as he stormed out of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Serrator demanded. "Come back! You need..."

His words tailed off as Dekker left the cave before he could stop him. Serrator resigned himself to the fact that he could only watch, and hope that Dekker didn't do anything that would jeopardise his plans too much.

As he left though, Dekker got a smirk on his face. He was now playing on Serrator's fears. He had no intention of seeing himself destroyed, not yet anyway, not while he was still unsure if this was what Serrator wanted. He was playing chess without being able to see the board. He couldn't tell what pieces Serrator was still playing with, much less where they were arrayed ready for the endgame. All he could do was make things difficult for now.

A little way outside the nearby city of Ocean Bluff, Bulk pulled the mini-van he had hired onto a little gravel path, leading off the main road. There was a sign marking this as the entrance to the Combat Camp. Spike and his friends all whooped with excitement as the vehicle trundled its way along the path.

They all pressed their faces to the windows, looking around. The area was heavily wooded, and the path was the only visible means of making their way into the camp. After approximately another mile, they came into an open yard, where Bulk circled around and came to a stop.

"Alright kids, here we are!" Bulk told them. He looked around in his seat. "Remember, behave yourselves and have a great time!"

"We will Uncle Bulk." Spike assured him as they disembarked, grabbing their gear out the back. As they did so, they were approached by a guy in a red t-shirt.

"New arrivals, do you have your invitations?" He asked. Spike got some paperwork out of his bag, and handed it to him. The guy just smiled. "Wow, I knew we had a gold level group coming today. If you wouldn't all mind signing this clip board..."

They all did so, eager to get started. This place looked amazing. The yard was abuzz with activity. There were a number of wooden buildings around, presumably the dorms for those who were there for longer than a day, surrounded by fences, which had gates at different points, leading off in different directions, presumably to the different scenarios available. The guy in the red shirt just smiled as they handed back the clipboard.

"Aright, the girls' dorms are on the right, both of you are in number three, the guys' dorms are on the left, you're all in number six. Just dump your stuff off there, and then head through that gate. The next session starts in ten minutes."

A short time later, once they had left their stuff on their beds, they made their way through to a central yard. It was there that they saw some racks of equipment, a table full of black, canvas clothing, and in the middle were two men, waiting for them. Other groups were coming into the yard, all lining up with them.

One of the men was tall, around six feet, and looked to be in great shape. He was dressed in black combat boots, black overalls, and wearing a body-armour vest. He had a paintball gun rested in the crook of his arm. He was completely bald, and clean-shaven, and standing a little bit behind the other.

The other one was just as bald, but was a little bit shorter, and more heavily set. He was dressed just the same, but instead of a gun, he was carrying a clipboard. He waited until the group was assembled before them, and then started to speak.

"Alright, welcome to Camp Combat. My name is Greg Lane; this rather scary-looking man behind me is Ed Parker." He began as the introduction. "As you may have read from our literature, both my partner and I were in a police SWAT unit for years before starting up this camp. Just to get the inevitable questions out the way, no I have never shot anyone, I was a negotiator. My partner here however, he has. You don't get to be on a SWAT unit for as long as we have without doing so, however it isn't a subject he likes talking about, so I advise you all to leave it at that."

He looked to the group and started reading out the roll-call. The group was mostly kids, with a couple of college-age kids, and the odd adult, but most of them were around Spike's age-group. Greg carried on down the list.

"Spike Sku..." He paused for a moment and looked up smiling. "You're kidding me right?"

"Spike Skullovitch." He introduced himself, holding up his hand. Greg just let out a little laugh.

"I heard you were coming, but I never thought...wow, Ed, you remember Spike right?" He asked. Ed just squinted a little, and a smile crossed his lips.

"Kim's kid?" He asked, stepping forward. He just held a hand up about Spike's shoulder level. "I haven't seen you since you were this big. How are you kid?"

"I'm pretty good, thanks Ed." Spike answered. "It has been a long time."

"It has indeed." Greg answered, looking to Ed. "It always makes you feel old when you see how much they've grown doesn't it?"

"It really does." Ed agreed. Greg just went back to the roster, finishing the roll call, before addressing them all.

"Alright, this camp is all about fun, but despite the fact these guns are not designed to be lethal, make no mistake, they can be dangerous." Greg told them. "This is the boring part, but no one has left here with less eyes than they came with, and I'd very much like to keep it that way, so listen up and we'll get to the fun part as soon as possible."

He held out a hand, at which Ed handed him a face mask. Greg showed it to them.

"You will all be required to wear these at ALL TIMES within the combat zones. You put them on, and secure them tightly when you enter, and do not remove them until you leave, no matter what. They are for your protection. If at any time you lose your face mask, or it comes off for any reason, ANY REASON AT ALL, then immediately do this." He instructed them. Ed covered his eyes. "Place your hands over your eyes, specifically the PALMS of your hands, not the fingers."

Ed slowly got down onto his knees, and then lay face-down on the ground.

"Lie down on the ground, your face down, and then start shouting." He continued. "Ed?"

"MARSHALL! MARSHALL!" Ed yelled in a loud voice.

Greg took out a whistle.

"The Marshalls are there for your protection, and to make sure the scenarios are safe." Greg told them. "If anyone calls for a Marshall, you will hear this whistle."

He blew the whistle, which sounded, a loud, ear-splitting tone that took all of them by surprise.

"When you hear that whistle, you will IMMEDIATELY stop firing, activate the safety switch on your guns, and take your finger off the trigger." He continued. "This is vitally important. Anyone found firing after a whistle has been sounded will be immediately banned from all further scenarios for the remainder of their stay."

He then knelt down over Ed.

"Remain in this position, regardless of if you hear the whistle until a Marshall approaches you and taps you on the shoulder to indicate that it is safe to get up." He tapped Ed on the shoulder, and then helped him up. "Once again, this is the most important safety procedure here. If you disobey this for any reason, you will be banned from competing. Is that understood?"

They all nodded in understanding. He then smiled.

"Now, go and get yourselves suited up with overalls and armour, and my friend here will take you to the firing range to show you how the guns work." He stated. "Be safe, and have fun kids. Let's keep the peace."

With that, they all headed to the tables and racks with Ed and Greg to get fitted for their equipment.

Antonio had gone with Jayden to get some fishing done after leaving Ji at Brenda's place. One of the few good things about the recent "buddy-system" they had adopted to prevent anyone ending up getting targeted by Dekker on their own was that he ended up spending most of his time now with Jayden.

His business had taken more than a little bit of a hit, since he couldn't risk going to the market or going fishing by himself, so he could only do business when someone could go with him as a "buddy". It was inevitable that there were simply a lot less times he could go out and sell his wares. When Ji said he needed to go and see Brenda, it was Antonio that got the idea to go and catch some stock for his business. It was a beautiful day, and he was confident that the fish would really be biting.

He pulled another fish out the creek, and smiled as he inspected it.

"Alright, that would make an awesome sandwich!" He commented. "How are you doing?"

"They're biting so much, even I can get some." Jayden answered as he smacked one on the side of a rock, before putting it into the cooler to be transported home. He checked his watch. "How much longer do you think Ji's going to be?"

"Who knows?" Antonio asked him with a shrug. "I guess he and your step-mom..."

He just chuckled as Jayden shuddered. He loved doing that. While Jayden was happy for Ji that he had found someone that made him happy, he found it a little weird to think about whenever Antonio started talking like that. He didn't doubt that Ji and Brenda were in love, but it had been just him and Ji for so long, he found it hard to think of them as anything other than a boyfriend and girlfriend. His mother had died when Jayden was a baby, and he lost his father when he was only six years old. It was complicated for him to imagine Brenda coming into his life in any other capacity. He'd never had a mother figure while he was growing up.

"Could you please stop doing that?" Jayden muttered. Antonio just chuckled.

"I'm just having fun with you." Antonio told him.

"Well, just have fun for now." Jayden answered. "Remember Terry's still on your case."

"Why do you think I'm spending so much time with you?" He asked in response.

"Aw, and here was I thinking it was because you liked me." Jayden moaned with a little pout. Antonio just looked to him.

"Is there any doubt about that?" He asked. As they drew closer however, they were interrupted by a small cough. Dekker stood a little way off, watching them.

"You two...?" He asked, gesturing between them. The look on his face was one of confusion more than anything else. They both rested their rods in the stands, and got up, facing Dekker.

"What's it to you?" Jayden snorted. "What do you want?"

"What do I ever want?" Dekker asked him. "It seems you Samurai are determined that my game will not proceed. It will be some time before our duel, so I guess I would be best served spending some time preparing for that."

He turned into his Nighlock form and drew the Bane of Life.

"I just wanted to give you a little going away present." He stated.

"Is he serious?" Antonio asked.

"He's never lied before." Jayden answered as they both morphed. "Why would he start now?"

Back at the Shiba House, Mike and Emily were sitting, playing Wii tennis, while Serena and Mia waited on their turn patiently. Emily reached into a bowl of chocolate peanuts on the floor and shoved a handful in her mouth between serves.

"Are you sure Emily having that much chocolate is a good idea?" Mia asked. Serena just shrugged.

"It's not like telling her to lay off the sugar's ever had any effect." Serena answered. "There is a reason for that whole 'bouncy' thing you know."

"I had kind of figured that one out." Mia sniggered. Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. Serena was first to the map, and checked out the signal.

"It's Dekker!" She told them. Mike. Mia and Emily were also staring at the map, so none of them noticed Terry creeping into the room and picking up the bowl, switching it with another, identical bowl. He left, and made a point of coming back in so they could hear him.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked them.

"Dekker's at the creek." Mike told him. "Jayden and Antonio are there."

"I guess he's fed up taking us one at a time." Kevin remarked as he came in from the dojo. "Come on guys, let's go!"

As they all ran out, morphing as they went, Mia just watched her brother go. Serena put an arm around her.

"It's never easy is it?" Serena asked her. "It always killed me to think of Emily going out to fight in my place."

"Dekker's a different league though." Mia reminded her. "Terry's good, but he hasn't faced anything like him."

"Well, the others are there with him." Serena reminded her. "I can only assure you that it does get easier. Besides, at least you know he's only a temporary replacement."

"I guess so." Mia sighed. "I just really wish it was me and not him."

"Still, there is one upside." Serena reminded her. "The Wii's free until they get back."

"Alright." Mia stated, picking up the bowl. "Want some?"

"No thanks." Serena said, wrinkling her nose. "I never did like that stuff. It's a waste of good chocolate."

"Yeah, I can't see what Emily sees in it either." Mia agreed, putting the bowl up on the table. "Alright, let's see if you're better at tennis than chess!"


	3. A Joke Too Far

The battle was well underway by the time Kevin, Emily, Mike and Terry came onto the scene. Jayden and Antonio were locked in a deadly battle, forming something of a stalemate.

Dekker was starting to wonder if individual duels really were the way to go as he fought for all he was worth. Any time he swung for Jayden, Antonio's Barracuda Blade was there to intercept. When he went for Antonio, Jayden had his back. He staggered away as Jayden scored a strike across his abdomen, sending him to a knee.

"Impressive!" Dekker called out, looking to the assembled Rangers. "You are much stronger than I remember!"

"What do you want Dekker?" Jayden demanded angrily. "And don't give me that 'going away present' crap!"

"If it will be some time before Serrator needs me to make a move, then I just want to satisfy my hunger for a while." Dekker told them, getting to his feet and waving them forward.

"Wait, he wants to fight all of us?" Terry asked. Dekker paused for a moment as he heard his voice. He started to shift a little in his stance as he also noticed that the Pink Ranger was taller than he remembered, and didn't have a skirt. Not to mention had a very different body shape.

"So, the Pink Ranger isn't back. You found a substitute." He concluded. "Well, that is interesting. Tell me, how would you like to join your relative?"

"Easy Terry, we all want him to pay for what he's done." Emily reminded him. "He says he wants all of us, I say we give him exactly what he wants!"

"You heard her." Jayden answered as he put his power disk onto his Spin Sword and powering it up. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, Dayu managed to slip back aboard Master Xandred's Junk before Serrator returned. She only just managed to compose herself and look casual as he came storming onto the deck, in an uncharacteristic rage.

"That blasted Dekker!" He roared. "He's going to ruin everything!"

"What's happening?" Octoroo asked him. "What did he do?"

"He is in battle with the Rangers as we speak!" He snapped in response. "As a team, they might destroy him! All those centuries of planning down the..."

He looked to Octoroo and snarled.

"Don't just stand there staring, do something!" He called out.

"What?" Octoroo asked him. Dayu could tell that there was a part of Octoroo enjoying this turn of events. For all his planning and all his scheming, it seemed that there was something that Serrator hadn't accounted for. He never lost his temper, certainly never openly like that. He was out of control of the situation, and they knew it. Dayu couldn't help feeling delighted that the man she loved had found a way to hurt Serrator's control.

"Anything! Something useful!" Serrator demanded. "Surely you have Moogers available! Send as many Moogers as it takes to break things up!"

Octoroo just went to the window and fired out a beam of light to signal a Nighlock. He had no idea who to call, anyone would do, so he just called for the first of his Nighlock in range.

At Cam Combat, Spike and his group had been taken through the remainder of their safety instructions, and were now in the middle of their first scenario. It was a simple one to start with, simply a relatively open field, with a few oil-drums and barricades dotted around for cover. The objective was to have at least one member of the team go from their end of the field to the other.

Spike's group was bolstered by a few other kids, making both teams an even twelve people apiece. Spike's group had been given red armbands to identify them from the other side, who were wearing blue armbands. He ran from cover, ducking a barrage as he made his way to the next barrel and knelt down taking up a position and waving others forward.

He took up position, firing some covering rounds as a girl, he presumed maybe it was Vicky, but given the overalls and face mask, so he couldn't tell for sure, ran for a barricade made of old shipping palettes, screaming as she fired off several rounds. He smiled a little as he saw one of the opposing team get hit, completely by accident. The other player, as per the rules, held his gun by the air hose so his finger wasn't on the trigger and walked off the field.

Spike saw her skid into the cover, and look straight at him. Through the eye goggles, he could see the eyes of the girl, and smiled as he realised he was right, it was Vicky.

"Nice shot!" He called over. Vicky gave him a thumbs up and joined him in covering fire as the others made their way out of cover.

Some of their team got hit in the rush, one of whom swore so loudly that he couldn't mistake it as Mal's voice. Spike made a mental note which kid got the hit, and vowed to avenge the 'death' of his friend. It turned out to be a futile thought though as a kid ran through from his side, making a tremendous pace across the field. He fired a shot, taking out the kid that hit Mal, before leaping over a barricade and keeping going.

"Cody's going for it!" Jimmy called out. "Cover him!"

It had been a while, but Spike remembered enough about the game to realise that Cody's move was likely premature, and needlessly risky. He and his team just advanced, having no choice but to cover him.

It was something of a massacre all things considered. Cody was moving so quickly, that the blue team had no choice but to break cover to get a bead on him. About four of them eventually managed to hit him, at which Cody just hung his head and walked off the field. With so many people out of cover, everyone opened fire. By the time Spike felt a couple of pellets hit his chest, and the Marshall's whistle sounded the end of the game, it was a case of finding out who hadn't been hit. Spike held his gun by the air hose as Ed and Greg came across.

"Well that was...exciting." Greg sighed shaking his head. "Damn Spike, I thought you knew how to play this game."

Spike just laughed at the light-hearted teasing.

"Alright Ed, have you found anyone?" He asked. His partner was busy checking the uniforms of all the players and then whistled, holding up the hand of one of the Blue Team players.

"We have a winner." He commented, patting the kid on the back. "Congratulations, it just cost every member of both teams. Alright people, follow me. We have three more scenarios before we break for dinner."

Melanie, Mal, Spike and Vicky all approached Cody, who was looking at them apologetically.

"Sorry guys." He told them. "I thought I had it."

"You watch too many Samurai movies." Mal joked, popping him on the shoulder. "Come on, it's just a game. Let's see if the next one is better for us."

Back at the site of the battle, Dekker was facing the battle of his life, taking on the whole team at once. He managed to knock Mike aside, only to receive a harsh blow from Kevin. Every cut was agony, but satisfying at the same time. As he saw some gaps glowing, he smiled. Just as he had predicted, Serrator wasn't about to let his prized possession get slaughtered.

He held up the Bane of Life to block Jayden's Fire Smasher, only for it to be broken under the force of the blow, and he found himself on his back, his breathing laboured. His vision started to blur. He would be in no condition to fight for some time; certainly he was out of this battle.

"Jayden, heads up!" Antonio called out as he started to attack some Moogers. "Serrator's decided to break up our little party!"

"Great, as if the small ones aren't enough of a pain!" Mike commented as some giant Moogers showed up.

"Mike, Kevin, we'll deal with the big ones." Jayden called out. "You take care of the others!"

Antonio just nodded in agreement as the Red, Green and Blue Rangers called up the Battle Wing. As the Rangers dealt with the small army of Moogers that had been sent to break up the battle, some Moogers arrived, taking Dekker's lifeless body, and disappeared with him into a gap.

At the camp, dinner was well underway, and everyone was having a great time talking about the events of the day. Many of the people there were paintballing for the first time, and were very animated and excited about what they had experienced so far. Spike's table had its own laughter though for different reasons. Ed and Greg had joined their table to catch up with Spike, and were relaying some of their old stories about Kim.

"So, we removed all the Kevlar from her vest, and replaced it with cream cheese, before sending her on a run around the assault course." Greg chuckled at the memory. "First time she fell on her face, the whole squad was in stitches for hours!"

"That must have been hilarious!" Spike laughed as he tried to imagine it. "I can't imagine..."

"There's no need to imagine, we got pictures." Ed added, showing him a photograph. Spike and his friends all gathered around, seeing Kim splattered head-to-toe in a combination of mud and cream cheese. Melanie just furrowed her brows after a moment or two laughing.

"How did you know she would fall?" She asked.

"It was her first day; everybody falls the first time on the assault course." Greg assured them. "But don't worry, she got us back."

"How?" Spike asked, shifting a little closer. Ed and Greg just looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I think that should remain in the family." Greg told him. "I wouldn't want you looking at your mom any differently."

"Anyway, get some sleep all of you." Ed told them. "Tomorrow's a busy day."

"Oh, and just a reminder to all of you!" Greg announced at the top of his lungs over the tables. "Your time is your own until 10PM, but after that, everyone's confined to their dorms, and I do mean THEIR DORMS! Any panty raids, and those in the wrong dorms are getting sent home."

With that, they all started to file away to do their own thing.

The Rangers assembled back at the Shiba House after the battle. They had stopped to pick up Ji, only for Brenda to ask to come along for the ride. They were a little confused, but they just went with it. It wasn't as though she was a stranger to the house.

"I am STARVING!" Mike commented. "I say we call for pizza."

"I agree." Ji announced, somewhat surprising them all. He just shrugged. "What? Am I not allowed to call a celebration?"

"We still don't know if we have anything to celebrate." Jayden answered. "After the last time, I'm so done with the Disney death thing. Until I see Dekker's body chopped into pieces and burned, I'm presuming he's coming back."

"Well, if he is, it'll be a while at least." Emily stated. "You saw the condition he was in, there's no way he's coming back after a band-aid and a lolly-pop."

"I'll call in the order." Kevin stated as he went to make the call. Ji then gestured to Mike.

"Go and get some champagne from the fridge." He told him. The Rangers were now really confused. While he didn't ban drinking, he certainly never encouraged it. He had champagne for celebrations; specifically he had some bottles reserved for the day the Rangers would be done with their battles. Mike just looked to him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Ji just nodded. "

"Oh, just nine glasses." Brenda rushed out. "I'll just have orange juice."

"Why would you ask for orange juice when there's good cham...?" Mia's words tailed off and a smile crossed her face. Slowly but surely, the penny seemed to drop for the rest of them. "It's not Dekker we're celebrating is it?"

"No, it's not." Ji told them, holding Brenda. "I will admit it is not as we planned, but Brenda and I are having a baby."

Following the announcement, they all crowded around to congratulate them, all that was, except for Jayden, who just left the room without a word. It took a little while for them to realise he wasn't there.

"Jayden?" Ji asked.

"He's probably just getting plates or something." Antonio said as he grabbed the bowl of chocolate peanuts from the table. Terry repressed his smirk. Seeing him offer the bowl to Emily, he couldn't believe his luck. A two for one revenge prank! Things were going well.

Antonio and Emily both chomped into their snack, and Terry smiled. A second later, Antonio's expression changed, and he started coughing and flailing wildly. The others all started laughing as he spat out the stuff into a bowl, and grabbed a water bottle, quaffing it furiously.

"Something wrong with your snack?" Terry giggled. "It's just my own recipe, wasabi and chilli powder with some cayenne pepper for good..."

His words tailed off as they heard some banging around behind them. They all turned to see Emily, who had wandered out of view.

"Emily?" Serena asked. As she turned to face them, her eyes were wide in panic, and she was clutching at her throat, fighting to breathe. Her face was already turning red. She fell to the floor with a loud crash, at which Serena and Terry were quickly by her side. Mike was just coming into the room with the champagne and some glasses when he saw her on the floor. He put them down, and ran to join them.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Mike screamed frantically. "Emily, speak to me!"

"Please, hold back and give her some air." Terry said in a panic. He checked the symptoms, and realised to his horror what had happened. "She's in anaphylactic shock! Serena, does she have...?"

"I'm on it!" Serena replied, running into Emily's room and rummaging through her drawers, eventually finding her epi-pen. She ran back into the room as Terry tried to keep her calm to ease her breathing. "Hold her still."

She jammed the epi-pen into her thigh; while they held her down to stop her hurting herself. Mike sat with her, soothing her as her symptoms started to subside. Terry went into the kitchen, gulping in panic. He didn't want to hurt anyone; they were starting to accept him. He went into the fridge, to the undoctored bowl and took out some, squashing them in his fingers. They weren't chocolate covered peanuts, they were chocolate covered raisins.

Serena, stormed into the kitchen after satisfying herself Emily was no longer in danger, and grabbed Terry roughly, ramming him into the wall. Her face was an expression of pure rage as she drew him away, slamming him into it again for emphasis, rattling the back of his head off the wall.

"What did you do?" She screamed at him. Terry's eyes were watering up with a mixture of panic, remorse and fear as he looked to her.

"I thought they were peanuts!" He told her. "I coated some wasabi nuts in chocolate; I didn't know she was allergic..."

His words were cut off as Serena kneed him hard in the groin, dropping him to the floor. Antonio and Mia appeared in the doorway, placing hands on her shoulders to guide her away from him.

"If you ever do anything like that to my sister again, there's nowhere far enough for you to run!" Serena warned him as she made her way back into the Living Room to return to her sister. Mia gestured to Antonio to go and knelt by her brother.

"I just meant it as a joke." He wheezed out. "I'd never..."

"I warned you not to let things get out of hand." Mia told him. "You know how dangerous tampering with someone's food can be."

"I've really blown it haven't I?" He asked her.

"Emily could have died." Mia reminded him. "Can you blame Serena for being angry?"

"I'm sorry, I would never..." He coughed, as he slowly, shakily got back to his feet, sliding onto a stool. Mia just sighed. "I've blown it haven't I? They'll never accept..."

"Never is a long time." She told him. "I'll bring you some pizza, but I'd advise staying away from Serena and Mike for a little while. I'd also not be surprised if Ji has some punishment drills for you."

She rubbed his shoulders comfortingly, before leaving him to return to her friends. Terry just held his head in his hands. She had warned him, she had pleaded with him not to take things too far. She had even asked him to drop it altogether. He never meant anything by his pranks, he only wanted to be a part of the group, to show that he could give as good as he got. Instead, he had almost succeeded where Xandred had failed for a year and a half and killed a Ranger. He could hear the others in the Living Room, fussing around Emily, only for her to insist that they get back to the celebration. Now, more than ever, he felt like he would never be a part of the group, and he was the only one to blame.


	4. Terry's Efforts

Shit! That's the only word he could think of for the way he felt for the following couple of days, he felt like shit.

Terry was still running laps by the time the others were ordered to hit the showers, and Ji only THEN ordered him into the yard for training. He expected this; he expected punishment drills considering the fact his idea of a prank had very nearly cost a ranger her life. He came into the yard, panting wildly as he tried to catch his breath.

"You have an experienced sparring partner." Ji announced as he gestured to Serena, who was dressed in training gear. With the exception of Mike or Emily, this was the last person he wanted to face. Serena stepped onto the mat. "Begin."

"I'm exhausted." Terry begged him. "I just..."

"I said BEGIN!" Ji said a little more forcefully. Terry just went to the rack and picked up a shinai, heading onto the mats to face Serena reluctantly. Even without their earlier encounter, she was terrifying when she wanted to be. After the knee in the nuts? She really was terrifying to him.

As Ji went into the house, he found Brenda waiting for him and smiled. He made his way onto the couch.

"So...how long is it before...?"

"I doubt he or she will be making much of a fuss for a while." Brenda interrupted him. "How's Emily?"

"She's fine." Ji assured her. "After some rest she was fine. In fact, she felt sorry for Terry and insisted I go easy on him."

"So you paired him with Serena?" Brenda asked. Just then there was a yell of pain and Terry fell off the mat, clutching at his shoulder. Ji just pointed back to the mat, but sniggered as he went.

"Serena knows the difference between punishment and vengeance." Ji assured her. "She won't take things too far."

"It is her little sister." Brenda reminded him. "And you basically did just give her a free licence to beat the crap out of the guy that almost killed her."

They were interrupted as Terry flew off the mats, crashing through a weapons rack. He got back up, dusting himself off, accepting this as part of his punishment, and walked back to the mats. Brenda just sighed.

"Ji..."

"Brenda, this is necessary." Ji insisted. "He needs to learn..."

"Did you do such things with Jayden?" She asked him. He just grunted and nodded.

"I may not have been as hard on him before the others came, but I ensured he knew right from wrong." He told her. She just took his hand, and rested it on her abdomen.

"What about our child?" She asked him.

"I will discipline our child and ensure their training..."

"Training?" Brenda interrupted him abruptly. "It's our kid!"

"Exactly, so it..."

"What if our son or daughter has no interest in Martial Arts?" She asked him. "What if it's a girl who loves ballet, or a boy that loves baseball? Are you going to force them to train?"

"Every child needs training." Ji insisted. "Jayden..."

"We're not talking about Jayden!" She snapped at him as Terry flew off the mats again. He dusted himself off and went back for more.

"I have..."

"You're not raising Jayden!" She stated abruptly as she got up and stormed away. Ji just followed her, leaving Terry completely at Serena's mercy, or lack thereof.

On a riverbank a little way from the Shiba House, Jayden was sitting, idly waiting for a bite. After a while, Antonio just sighed.

"You know, it works better if you put bait on the hook." He commented. Jayden just pulled his hook out the water and put the rod aside. Antonio came over. "You know, you haven't..."

"I know what you're going to say Antonio!" He said a bit abruptly. "I should be stoked; I'm getting a little brother or sister!"

"Uh...alright, I'll bite." Antonio said, sitting next to his boyfriend. He knew something was bugging him, but he didn't really know what.

"It's just been me and Ji for so long." Jayden explained. "I know he wasn't really my dad...but he's all I had. I don't even remember my mom, she died a couple of days after I was born, and dad..."

His words tailed off. Antonio knew the rest of the tale. Even though he was nowhere near being the Gold Ranger back then, he knew that Jayden had lost his dad.

"Jayden..."

"He's in his fifties, what business does he have having kids?" Jayden snapped bitterly. "By the time the kid's in school, he'll be ready to retire! By the time it's ready to go to college, he'll be..."

"Hey, I get it, it's kind of weird." Antonio told him, kneeling before Jayden. "But seriously, do you think it's such a terrible idea? He's raised you pretty well."

Jayden just took a swipe, knocking his rod away. Antonio sighed. He knew there was something about all this that was getting to him.

"Jayden..."

"He's old; it's selfish of Brenda to expect..."

"Jayden, she doesn't know what she's going through." Antonio told him. "Hell, I'm obviously not an expert on the subject, but he's not exactly a stranger to..."

"That's not the point Antonio!" Jayden interrupted him. He could see the way the Gold Ranger was staring at him and regretted the way he spoke to him. He went back to the river bank. Antonio just ran after him, whipping him around.

"Jayden..."

"Why?" He demanded, his eyes beginning to look a little watery. "Am I not enough?"

Antonio just took him in his arms and held him. He couldn't answer for Ji; all he could do was hold him.

Back at the Shiba House, Terry was going into the freezer for the frozen peas. Although he knew she hadn't done anything serious, he was certain Serena had taken more than a few liberties with him during their sparring session. She was a good couple of years older than him, and being the first born in her family, she was the one expected to take up the family legacy, so her skills eclipsed his by a significant enough margin that it was more of a beating than a true sparring session.

He never uttered a word of complaint though. He knew he deserved most of what came his way. He had played a prank that almost killed Serena's sister, so she was understandably upset. He could remember Emily being similarly passionate when she used his face as a snare drum when he first arrived at the Shiba House because of how badly he had hurt Mia. He just took the peas and rested them against his cheekbone, the most prominent of his swollen injuries.

He turned around as he heard Serena come in. She took one look at him, and snorted, before heading to the fridge.

"Losing at chess again?" He asked. Serena didn't bother answering. He could understand why, she was still seriously dark on him for causing Emily's accident.

"Maybe I can help?" He suggested.

"No thanks." Serena snapped, before leaving. Terry just slumped in the corner, holding his face in his hands. He couldn't help what he had done, it was in the past. He had done all he could following his ill-conceived prank, and as a result, Emily hadn't ended up needing hospital treatment, but he knew that didn't matter to the others. He felt a tap on the shoulder, and looked up to see Emily standing there.

"What are you doing on the floor?" She asked him. He just sighed and shook his head.

"Your sister..."

"Serena's always scary when it comes to me." Emily assured him. Terry could see Mike fixing himself a snack in the background. "Just ask Cletus."

"Who's Cletus?" Terry asked her. Emily just giggled.

"He was a kid in Serena's year that picked on me." She told him. "One day, he ripped the arm off my teddy, so she broke his arm to make a point."

This did absolutely nothing to ease Terry's mind. He already knew the others were dark on him for his actions. Jayden had been tough on him in training, Kevin and Mia had largely avoided him, even now Mike seemed to be keeping his distance, but only just enough to be able to see what happened between him and Emily, and he was still tensed up, ready for action.

"Your sister is scary." Terry agreed. "I'd hate to think what she'd break if I wasn't needed to replace Mia."

"Terry, what happened was an accident." Emily assured him.

"Emily, you could have died!" Terry reminded her. "It was stupid, it was irresponsible..."

"It was everything I would expect of a kid brother." She assured him with a giggle. "Seriously, if you knew half of the stupid shit I did as a kid..."

"Emily, what I did nearly cost you your life!" He reminded her. She just sat down with him.

"Yeah, try not to do that again." She stated. "Dying my hair or hiding my clothes is one thing, but peanuts is quite another."

Terry just nodded curtly in Mike's direction.

"I have to win him over don't I?" He asked. Emily just shrugged.

"I'll do what I can." She told him. "But don't expect him to invite you to a Mario Kart tournament in the next couple of weeks."

"What about your sister?" Terry asked her. Emily just shook her head.

"Your guess is as good as mine what you need to do to win her over." Emily said honestly. "Serena's got her own scale to work from."

"That's comforting." Terry muttered as Mike came over, handing Emily a bottle of water. Terry looked to Mike. "Sorry, I..."

"Emily's fine, that's all that matters to me." Mike assured him. "I can't say that I'm happy about what happened, but after thinking about it, but I can't say some of the stupid shit I've done hasn't ended badly either. I guess sometimes things go ways we didn't expect."

"All we can do is make sure they don't happen again." Terry replied, holding out a hand for a handshake. It took a moment, but Mike eventually accepted it.

"Good luck winning Serena over though." He replied. "She still hates me getting too close to Emily, and we're engaged!"

"Yeah, I've got a feeling that'll be the hardest one." Terry agreed as they left. Ji came into the kitchen as Mike and Emily left.

"Are you rested?" Ji asked him. Terry just nodded. "Then your punishment will resume. Two hundred push-ups on the grass. Go!"

Terry just finished a mouthful of water, before heading outside to deal with his punishment.

Dekker awoke back in his cave, and drew himself painfully to his feet. Every muscle ached, and every instinct called on him to simply lie down.

He approached the mouth of the cave, only to be driven back by a painful sting. He reached out with a hand, only to find the same thing happening.

"I can't trust you!" Serrator announced. "I suppose I have to keep you under wraps somehow."

"You imprison me?" Dekker asked him.

"You are too important to allow to just go throwing yourself at Rangers every other day." He answered. "Believe me, that barrier is quite secure."

Dekker just sat down, and Serrator disappeared. It was then that Dayu appeared from her hiding place.

"He..."

"Believe me, that barrier would be far from the worst pain I have endured." Dekker told her as he started a fire. "If it makes Serrator believe he is in control, I am willing to allow him to believe it."

She just chuckled as she sat next to him. Dekker didn't know why she insisted on staying so close to him, but something in him, the same instinct that raised the hairs on the back of his neck when he was in danger just seemed to believe that she would never be a threat to him. Something about her, even if he didn't know what, always told him she would never be an enemy.

It was an odd thing about his condition. Beyond his immediate past, beyond his enemies, he remembered virtually nothing. He only remembered things that stoked the fires of his rage, and drove him on his path for vengeance...but vengeance for what...he had no idea any longer. He didn't feel joy any longer, and he had no capacity in him for making friends, but of all those that crossed his path, she was somehow different. He couldn't place his finger on how she was different, she just was. Any other Nighlock, even Xandred, he'd not have a second thought about crossing blades with, but her...there was just something...

"You will remain here?" Dayu asked him. He just nodded.

"It will be some time before you and your kind are ready to assault the Rangers at full force." He told her. "Now, I am in the same situation...at least...as far as Serrator knows."

"So, you are unharmed?" Dayu asked him. He just smiled.

"I have endured worse over the years, believe me." He told her. Dayu just threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. Dekker didn't know how to respond, normally no one would dare to get so close, but somehow this just felt...right somehow. He didn't even try to stop her as Dayu pressed her lips to his, before parting from him.

She could see the blank look on his face, and her heart broke for the millionth time. He genuinely had no idea what they once had together. She just disappeared into a gap without another word. Dekker didn't know what he felt, or what he remembered, but her touch held something he couldn't explain. It was almost like it was meant to be. Standing up and discarding his robes, he took up the Bane of Life and started to practice, waiting for the time to act.

Back at the Shiba House, Terry had finally been released from his punishment drills for the day, and was searching the house for Serena. Although she wasn't on the team, he had some idea that she was somewhat of a surrogate aunt or mother to the group. Winning her over would go a long way to earning forgiveness in the eyes of the team.

He finally found her in the back yard, with a book in her hand, overlooking a chess board. He knew that she played with Mia regularly since Mia's injury at least, but she seemed not to be on the same level. It wasn't surprising, back in High School, Mia had been a school champion, and would have been a state champion if she had taken the time to compete instead of training. He looked to the board, seeing the layout.

"Whose move is it?" Terry asked. Serena just grunted. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, and he wasn't expecting her to make it easy either. "Well, if that means white, then I can suggest a three move check..."

"Can I help you with something?" Serena snapped, slamming the book down in a fit of temper. Terry just gulped.

"Look, I know I screwed up." He told her. "I just thought we might...you know...start over."

He saw her looking at him sceptically, and pulled out a DVD.

"I saw this in the collection, it's really good." He told her. "Tony Jaa, Warrior King. It's..."

He had no idea what hit him, the last thing he remembered was Serena's elbow heading straight for him. When it connected, it felt like an articulated lorry! All he knew was that by the time he was peeling himself off the floor, with a little help from Emily, Serena was storming away.

"It was from her collection." Terry stated in a daze, his vision still fuzzy from Serena's attack. "I just offered..."

"You picked the wrong movie." Mike sighed, looking at the DVD. Terry looked confused.

"But..."

"It's not your fault, you couldn't have known." Emily assured him. "That was the movie Serena was watching with Stephen when...when he first told her he loved her."

Terry just shook his head in disbelief.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath.


	5. Fair is Fair

At Camp Combat, Spike and his friends were enjoying a little break between scenarios. Spike loved the group, he couldn't believe that only months before his entire social circle was restricted to his uncle. Since going back to school though, he had ended up forming a group around himself that he loved hanging with.

Cody was into a lot of the same things he was. His training sessions with Serena at his dad's place gave them something in common. Just like him, Cody had been pretty much on his own at his old school. He was happy to know that next year, he would be attending Central with them. Although they got together at break times, he knew that Jimmy would benefit from having a friend in his year, that would go to his classes.

Jimmy was the comedian of the group, and always kept them all entertained. He was currently doing his best impression of Ed, causing the others to laugh loudly. In some ways he envied the fact that Jimmy and Cody would have another full year before having to worry about exams. Although there would be several weeks until they had to return to school for Junior year, but with them around, he was sure they would get a few laughs when times got stressful.

Melanie, Spike couldn't believe that in the end, she had become a friend. While their past had been somewhat chequered, and they generally just tried to not mention it and treat it as the past, he was happy to have her in the group now. Particularly because of the effect she'd had on Mal. He too was much happier, and was currently holding her as they laughed at Jimmy's antics.

Finally, his gaze came to rest on Vicky. He knew that he had feelings for her ones that were stronger than mere friendship, and he hoped that he would get a chance to bring up the subject soon. He was being cautious because it was only a short time since she had gone out with Cody, and while Cody had assured him that things ended amicably, he still didn't want to look like he was just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on her the moment she was available. He heard her grunting, slightly piglet-like laugh, and couldn't help smiling. Eventually, they were interrupted as Ed and Greg came over.

"Alright, there's one more scenario to complete before we break for the day." Ed announced. "However, I want to remind all Gold Package guests that you have a very special treat for your final day tomorrow. You get to play against...us."

"That's right; the Gold Package guests get a crack against the instructors." Greg told them all with a little smile. "However, don't get your hopes up too much; in the two years since we started this camp, no one has ever defeated us."

"The current record stands at two casualties." Ed stated, holding up a couple of fingers for emphasis. "Alright, that's what you have to look forward to tomorrow, but today, we have a personal favourite of mine, the hostage situation."

He handed around some sheets, giving them the briefing for the scenario.

"One team has to pick one person to act as a hostage." Ed continued. "Now, before anyone asks, the first rule of this scenario is that you cannot execute your prisoner until they have been released from their captors, so don't even think about it."

"The objective of the scenario is to find the hostage, who will be standing in a red square somewhere in the opposing team's fort." Greg told them. "That will represent where they're being held. The hostage is not allowed to leave the square until they are tagged by another member of their team, likewise they cannot be targeted by their captors until they are so released."

"If the liberating team get their hostage out, and back to the gate, they win. If they are wiped out, or the hostage is taken out, they lose." Ed concluded the briefing. "Alright, call it."

"Heads." The captain of the blue team announced. Spike watched as the coin came up heads.

"Alright, you're the captors." Greg told them. "Red team, pick a hostage."

"Well, I'm the worst shot, so I guess I'm the damsel in distress." Vicky sighed, placing her gun back on the rack. She went with the blue team as they entered the area first. "Help me!"

The others laughed as she went with them. As Spike prepared the hopper of his gun, filling it with ammo, Jimmy just came over, nudging him in the ribs.

"Hey, how about that?" He asked. "You get to play the hero to my sister."

"Shut up." Spike laughed, playfully shoving the back of Jimmy's head as Greg indicated to them that it was time for them to set up. The one thing that always irritated Spike about Jimmy was that he had a habit of being able to see right through him. He had to admit, part of him really did want to be the one to 'save' her.

Brenda was in her apartment, just getting ready for work, when she heard a knock on the door, groaning loudly. She could probably guess what it was about; she hadn't really given Ji any time to straighten things out with her when she left the house. He had given her the rest of the evening as space, staying at the house, but she was sure it wouldn't be long until he came to talk to her. As she opened the door, sure enough, Ji was there.

"Ji, I'm just about to head out." She told him. "Can we...?"

"Can we just talk for a moment?" He asked her. "Please?"

She just gestured him inside. He came in, heading for her main room.

"Brenda, I'm sorry." He began. She just sighed.

"By any chance do you know what you're sorry for?" She asked him. Ji was about to answer, when suddenly, his mouth found no words to form. He knew she was upset about something he had said. He tried to think back over the conversation they had been having. "You don't do you?"

"We were watching the others train." He recalled. "Brenda, is that it? Is it because I want our child to train?"

"You really don't get it do you?" She sighed. "Ji, I need to get to work."

"Brenda, I don't want there to be any bad feeling about this." He told her. "I want to..."

"Ji, you can't just apologise if you don't know what you're apologising for." She interrupted him. "Just...go home. I promise I'll talk to you later."

Ji could see from her expression that she was serious. It wasn't long until she was due at the office, but he had hoped that she would finish their conversation. He doubted that anyone at the office would care too much if she was a little late, particularly if they knew about her condition. He wasn't sure if she had even told the people she worked with about the pregnancy.

"Brenda, please..."

"Ji, this isn't just about what you want." She told him. "I really need to go. Please, just...come back tonight. We can talk then."

Ji just nodded in agreement reluctantly. He didn't really want to leave things like this, but he didn't want to upset her any further. He leaned in, kissing her cheek softly, before heading out the door. Brenda just leaned against the wall as he left, and held her face in her hands.

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden assembled the Rangers for training. Terry knew that Ji would have left Jayden in charge while he was out of the house, and he doubted Jayden would go easy on him, or over rule Ji by not continuing with his punishment detail. None of the Rangers could say that they had heard Terry complain about his punishment, and by now he was convincing all of them that he was probably beating himself up over the Emily situation more than they were. He knew that his joke could easily have had very serious consequences; it was only the fact that he and Serena quickly identified Emily's condition, together with the good fortune that Emily had medication in her room, that had saved her.

His face was badly swollen from the previous night, when Serena had lashed out at him. Terry was taking his penance beyond the training grounds, and was constantly doing the rounds of the other housemates, seeing where he could do things to help them, or do them favours to make things up to them. He had used his knowledge to give Mia some exercises that he assured her would prevent muscle wastage, and help speed up her return to full form once the bones had fully healed.

Emily and Antonio, he had managed to win over with his music. He had his guitar, and having performed in more than a few gigs, he had taken to practicing with them, something that Antonio in particular really seemed to enjoy, since none of the others really practiced music. Terry had even promised to let Antonio join him and his band for a tour when the war was over with.

Kevin and Jayden, he had impressed with his determination to improve. He hadn't come into the house especially weak in any area, but he was quickly improving, taking his punishment exercises as a positive thing, using it to push himself as hard as possible. They weren't convinced he was on Mia's level, but they had to concede that of any of the Rangers on the team, he had made the most significant improvement over the shortest period of time.

It was Serena that was still the one giving him the most trouble winning over. Not only had he almost killed her sister with a stupid prank that had gone pretty badly wrong, he had then tried to convince her to start over, choosing a film from Serena's collection to invite her to watch. Unfortunately, he had picked something that had a special meaning for her, one he couldn't possibly have known about. Emily and Mike had explained that the film he had chosen was the one Serena was watching with Stephen the first time he told her he loved her.

He knew about Stephen, he knew that she had lost someone she loved to the war. The reason he hadn't made a fuss about the fact she had assaulted him was because he was desperate to make it up to her, and to prove to her that he wasn't a completely thoughtless, irresponsible idiot, considering the fact that the team, especially Emily's lives, could one day depend on him.

"Alright, guys, run some laps to warm up." Jayden told them, carrying a couple of backpacks. Given the way they hung on his shoulder, Terry could presume that they were incredibly heavy. He dumped the two bags on the ground as Serena came out into the yard with a book, preparing to take a seat. "We'll work on power symbols once you're all warm. The two of you though..."

He pointed in Terry's direction.

"You'll run to the highest cliff in town and back, carrying one of these." He stated, pointing to the back packs on the ground. Terry furrowed his brows, as he looked to Jayden.

"Uh...there's only one of..."

"I was actually talking about the two of you!" Jayden reiterated, a little more forcefully. Terry turned around, and saw that Serena was sitting behind him, looking a little stunned by this turn of events.

"What?" Serena blurted out. "You want me to...?"

"Did I not make it clear?" Jayden asked her.

"I'm not even on the team!" She shrieked at him. "You can't...!"

"It's my house." Jayden put down flatly. "You've lived here rent-free, and without contributing financially in any way. I don't think it's too much to expect you to obey the rules of the house."

She looked to Terry darkly, but Jayden just picked up a backpack, thrusting it into her hands.

"Don't look at him; he had nothing to do with this." Jayden told her. "You assaulted a member of the team."

"He almost killed Emily!" Serena screeched at him. "He..."

"He is being punished for that." Jayden reminded her. "It is up to Ji and myself how to determine the discipline of the team, not you. Now, he was put on punishment drills for a fortnight..."

"You can't say that what I did was anywhere NEAR as serious as what he did!" She screamed at Jayden defiantly, throwing down her backpack. "I just..."

"What if you'd given him a concussion?" Jayden asked her. "What if you'd messed up his vision? You may not like this, I'm not asking you to, but the fact is that Terry is a member of this team for the foreseeable future. Potentially we'll have to rely on him for the safety of the team."

Terry didn't know whether or not to interject. He wanted to assure Jayden that he was alright, to tell him that he deserved what Serena did to him. He wanted to do something to convince Jayden not to go ahead with this course of action. He was sure that getting Serena put on punishment detail would to anything to stop her hating him as much as she already did.

"But..."

Jayden just picked up the backpack, and held it out for her.

"If you want to stay here, then you'll obey the rules of this house." Jayden told her. "And because you questioned my authority, your sentence now matches Terry's. You're on punishment detail until a week on Tuesday. It's your choice."

Serena just sighed and took the backpack. She generally trained on her own, not wanting to take any time away from the Rangers, it wasn't like she was a part of the team. She glared at Terry as she pulled on her backpack, which rattled with the weight of dozens of rocks. She didn't want to accept the punishment; she didn't honestly believe she deserved it. She even considered asking Kieran if he would put her up again, to call Jayden on his ultimatum, but ultimately knew that she couldn't expect that of him. It would also limit how much she could be around her sister and the other Rangers. In the end, she swallowed her pride, as unjust as she believed it was, and accepted the punishment.

Terry pulled on his backpack, and prepared to begin as well. Jayden just gestured to the gate.

"You'll join us when you get back." Jayden told Terry. "The sooner you both start, the sooner you finish. I suggest you get going. If it takes you longer than an hour and a half, you can run the course again."

Serena started to jog off down the path, at which Terry followed her. He was sure, now more than ever, that Serena would completely loathe him. However, thinking about what Jayden had said, there was one consolation, one thing that he was happy about. He had called Terry 'a part of the team'.

Over at Camp Combat, Vicky was sitting, cross-legged in a room, within a little wooden out-building, within a little, painted red square. It was part of the scenario that she had to stay there until one of the other members of her team came to 'rescue' her. She had seen members of the blue team moving around. Most of them were outside, awaiting her rescue attempt, but a couple of them were moving around inside the building, acting as guards of some description.

She was starting to regret her decision to act as the 'hostage'. It was easily the least fun she'd had on this trip. The floor was uncomfortable, and all she could really do was wait until someone from the red team could release her.

"Something's happening?" One of her 'guards' stated, checking out of the window. He heard a few shots, something that indicated someone was close. Although as much of the exercise was 'realistic' as it could safely be made, the fact that the guns were air-driven meant that the shots could only be heard from a few metres.

She saw a couple of the team member's crowd to the windows, and start to fire outwards. This was the first indication that there was someone close to the building.

She looked around at a door, and saw a couple of people creeping in, and seeing their armbands, realised they were on her team. She kept quiet a second longer, at which they opened fire, taking down the three firing out the windows. Two of the red team covered the door, while another tapped her on the shoulder.

"OK, it worked, we got her." She heard Spike say. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Vicky couldn't help smiling. Not only was she now able to do something other than just sit around on a hard wooden floor, but she felt a little lift at knowing that Spike had been the one to release her. She was still not sure how to proceed on that front. She didn't know if Spike returned her feelings, and she was also a little unsure how long she should wait after her split from Cody before making eyes at another guy.

"Alright, we're clear this way." Melanie announced. "Come on!"

They sprinted from the building, making their way down the path. The last part of the scenario was to get the 'hostage' safely to the gate. Vicky could see that they basically planned to run for it, and since only Spike, Melanie, and given the height, she presumed either Cody or Jimmy had gone into the building, she presumed others were planning to cover them.

The area erupted in a storm of shots. Everyone had plenty of ammo, as was evidenced by the storm of shots flying everywhere. Having no gun, Vicky had no option but to simply concentrate on running, while the others checked the path ahead.

Suddenly, she found herself being wrapped in a pair of arms. She could hear shots slamming into armour, but she wasn't concentrating on that. She just felt warm arms around her, and felt her heart quicken. Seeing the face-guard next to her, she could only just see through the goggles, and realised it was Spike.

Spinning around, Melanie and her other rescuer opened fire, taking down the team that had ambushed them. When she heard a loud whoop of excitement, and recognised the voice, it was only then she realised the other one was Cody.

"Alright, we should be going!" Melanie stated. "It's not far!"

As Spike unwrapped his arms from her, he held them up and aside, holding his gun by the air hose. He turned and walked away, at which she saw his back was peppered with blue paint shots. He had obviously seen the ambush coming, and grabbed her, taking the shots himself.

"Vicky, come on!" Cody called out, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her. "The gate's right up ahead!"

She went with them, finally hearing a whistle as they got to the gate. They waited until Ed and Greg came through the gate, gesturing them to exit the area. Both teams left, assembling in the courtyard, and putting up their guns away before removing their masks.

"Alright people, it's almost time for lunch." Ed told them. "I just have to say, that the last scenario was played very well, especially by our winners, the red team!"

They all accepted a few congratulations from the blue team.

"Alright, everyone get cleaned up, because tonight's a huge barbecue party!" Greg informed them. "Then tomorrow, our gold package guests will all get a crack at us!"

"The other members of our team will arrive tomorrow!" Ed told them. "There are twenty four gold package guests, which may give you a fighting chance."

"Yeah, you're going down!" One of the blue team called out to whoops of approval. Ed just shook his head and laughed.

"They never learn do they?" He asked Greg. His partner just shrugged.

"Then we'll teach them the hard way." He answered. "Alright people, go and get cleaned up. After that, the time until the barbecue party is yours to do with as you see fit. Feel free to use the amenities to practice, but if you do so, please see a Marshall for supervision. Have fun guys."

"Alright, lunch!" Jimmy called out. "I'm starving!"

"Me too!" Cody added. The guys all sprinted off to the dorms to get washed up and changed for lunch, leaving Melanie and Vicky alone. Melanie tugged at Vicky's sleeve.

"Vicky, are you coming?" She asked. Vicky just nodded.

"Yeah, I'm coming." She answered absent-mindedly, following her back to the dorms. She wasn't thinking about lunch, or about the special game the following day. As she went to her dorm, with a big smile on her face, all she could think about was what it felt to have Spike's arms around her.


	6. The Competition

Serena and Peter arrived at the top of the highest cliff at the outskirts of the city, heading to the edge. As they got there, Serena turned, preparing to head back, only to find Terry sitting on a small rock, taking off the backpack for a moment to take a rest. He pulled out a water bottle, and took a sip as Serena just looked at him incredulously.

"What are you doing?" She screamed at him. "We're meant to..."

"We're meant to get here and back inside an hour and a half." He reminded her. "It took us three quarters of an hour to get up here, and its downhill most of the way on the way back. We can afford a couple of minutes..."

"They expect us to do it all!" She called out. Terry just leaned back a little, resting against a tree and gave her a little smirk.

"Then why did Jayden put a bottle of water in each of our bags?" He asked her. Serena just groaned, shaking her head in disbelief as she put her bag down. She reached into the bag, and pulled out a bottle, but ended up growling savagely as she pulled out an empty bottle. It was crushed, and had a crack in it, likely from when she had thrown her bag to the ground in a fit of temper at being told she was on punishment detail.

"Damn it!" She yelled as she threw the bottle aside, before inspecting the backpack. There was a large, damp patch on it. She had presumed it was sweat, but now she realised she was without water, at least until she got home. Seeing Terry sitting, leaning against the tree, a silly little smirk on his face, she just strode towards him and thrust out a hand. "Give me some of yours!"

"What's the magic word?" He teased her, taking a sip. He had every intention of giving her some, and he really didn't want to anger her any further, but he figured that there wasn't much chance she was going to risk any further punishment by attacking him again, and he had to admit enjoying this rare opportunity where he had something she actually wanted, and she had to ask him for something. Serena just let out a frustrated little grunting sound and thrust her hand out again. He figured this was the best he was going to get, and handed over the bottle.

Serena went about as far from him as she could to another rock to sit on, and wiped off the neck of the bottle with her hand, before taking a sip. Terry just looked around, taking the opportunity to take a short break from the punishing course.

"Now that's littering." Terry stated, pointing to the bottle. "That's not a good example for the Blessed Warrior to be setting now is it?"

Serena just gave him a furious glare, before going over and picking it up. She shoved it back into her backpack, before slumping down on the rock again and drinking more water. She heard Terry sniggering a little, and looked at him, snorting.

"What?" She demanded.

"Sorry, it's just...I found that tantrum a little amusing." He told her. "Has anyone ever told you you're actually quite funny when you're mad?"

"Keep up with the smartass cracks and I'll get downright hilarious." She warned him, offering him the bottle back. He just held up a hand.

"You finish it." He told her. She sneered.

"So, you think that's going to fix everything?" She asked him. "You give me some water and that makes everything cool?"

"I know you're mad about what happened to Emily, but she's fine now!" He reminded her. "I've apologised over and over, and I've worked my ass off to make things right. Even she's forgiven me."

"Emily's like that." Serena snapped. "I'm a bit harder to convince."

"Yeah, I kinda got that." He answered sarcastically, leaning back with his silly little grin crossing his face. Serena could feel herself tensing up, crushing the plastic bottle in her grip. Everything about Terry irritated her lately. He was cocky, he was careless, he never took anything seriously...She looked down, realising her hand was wet as the last of the water ran over it from the ruined bottle.

"That's a waste." He told her. Serena just threw the bottle at him, causing him to stare at her. "Hey!"

"Thanks for the water." She snorted. Terry just picked up the bottle and shoved it back in his bag.

"Look, I didn't know about the DVD alright?" He stated. "And I'm sorry about Emily, trust me, I am. Can't we at least TRY and make the best of this?"

"How long does a broken arm take to heal?" She asked him with a stony expression. Terry knew what the real question was; she wanted to know when he was leaving.

"It's going to be at least another three, maybe four weeks." Terry reminded her. "I don't expect you to like me, but this would go a whole lot easier if we could at least be civil to each other."

"Come here." She said with a little smile. Terry came across, at which she gestured over the side of the cliff. "Look down there."

Terry wondered about the wisdom of this, but he went along with it, and looked over.

"You see how the side of the cliff is almost completely smooth; you see all that rubble at the bottom of the cliff?" She asked him. "My sister did that with a Power Symbol."

"Wow, seriously?" He asked her.

"She buried Dekker under...I don't know...maybe ten tons of rock. Do you know why she did that?"

Terry just shook his head.

"While I was still sick, Dekker kidnapped me. He held me on this very cliff to draw Jayden out." She explained. "I'm her older sister, and she had the power to do that. So what do you suppose I could do to you if you put her in danger again?"

Terry just stood, with his hands on his hips, looking at her.

"More threats?" He asked her. "I think things might seriously go better if you just try and be civil. I haven't been anything but nice."

"Don't worry; I'm not planning on getting any more punishments because of you. I won't touch you if you don't do anything to deserve it." Serena told him, picking up her backpack, and putting it back on. "Just stay away from me, and we'll be fine."

With that, she started to jog, heading back for the Shiba House. Terry picked up his backpack, throwing it on as he started to follow her.

At Camp Combat, the teens were sitting around at lunch. Spike looked to the staff table, where Ed, Greg, and the three Marshalls were eating, enjoying a couple of laughs as they did. Mal and Melanie were talking quietly, looking to each other, while Jimmy and Cody seemed to be talking about something further down the table. Vicky noticed Spike looking over to the staff table and smiled.

"What are you thinking?" She asked him.

"There are only five of them." Spike stated. "I've been keeping tabs since I heard about the big scenario tomorrow. There are only five staff members here."

"So?" She asked.

"There are twenty four Gold Package guests here." Spike explained. "We outnumber them nearly five-to-one."

"Spike, it's a game." She reminded him. "Two of them are former SWAT, the others...hell, they work here full time, they can practice whenever they want. They're bound to be good..."

"Yeah, but there's a lot of us, and some of us are getting pretty good." Spike said with a little smile. "I don't know about you, but I really want to be on the first team to win this challenge."

"Spike, they play these games ALL THE TIME!" She reminded him a little more forcefully. "Jimmy once got me to play Modern Warfare online with some of his friends there. I got killed about fifteen times in two minutes before I gave up. Some people just are that good if that's all they do..."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they can't be beaten, I never expected it to be easy." Spike said with a little smirk. "Guys, let's hit the targeting range, and then head back to my dorm to talk tactics."

"Tactics?" Mal asked him. Spike just grinned.

"I did listen to my mom when she told me about her time on the team." He assured them, getting up from the table. "We've got a few hours until the barbeque. I say we use that time to prepare for tomorrow."

"Well, I guess it would be cool to be able to say we were the first ones to beat the team here." Jimmy chipped in with a smile.

"Let's do it." Cody agreed. With that, they finished up what was on their plates, and cleared them away, before heading to the staff table.

"Ed, you said we could use the facilities before the barbecue." Spike stated. "Would you mind if we use the targeting range for some practice?"

"I'd encourage it." He responded, looking to one of the counsellors. "Lou, supervise our young friends will you?"

"Sure thing Ed." He replied as he got up from the table and accompanied them. Ed saw them heading off and smiled.

"I think they're about the first ones to take this seriously enough to practice." He stated.

"The kid wants to win." Greg answered. "Given who raised him, does that surprise you?"

"Not at all." Ed answered. "Think he knows how slim his chances are?"

"Not a chance." Greg said with a little grin, taking another mouthful.

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers were in the yard, sitting in front of easels, practicing some Power Symbols, while Ji, who had returned from his somewhat less than successful visit to Brenda's place to apologise, and Mia watched on. Emily giggled as she finished a symbol, and the sheet of paper folded up into an Origami bird, and started to flap its wings, fluttering around her head.

"Nicely done Emily!" Ji complimented her. Mia had noticed that Ji was somewhat less than happy, and had surmised it had something to do with Brenda.

"I take it talking to Brenda didn't go well." She surmised. Ji just shook his head.

"She said I can't apologise if I don't know what I'm apologising for." He told her.

"Well, do you know what you're apologising for?" Mia asked him in response. He just sighed.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." He answered honestly. "I just know she was upset when I was talking about our child's training."

He looked to her and shook his head.

"I can understand her being concerned about our child being hurt. I know our training is dangerous." He stated. "I have seen Jayden hurt so many times, I understand that is worrying, but it is necessary."

"Is it though?" Mia asked him. "I mean, all going well, we might be done with Xandred by the time your kid's old enough to take up a morpher."

"It isn't just that though." Ji explained. "I don't want a child of mine to be involved in a war, I would never want that. It terrified me when the first of the Moogers came into the world, and I realised Jayden would have to continue what his father started. I am terrified every time all of you have to face a battle."

He took her cast and showed it to her.

"Every injury you suffer, every pain you feel, I feel it more acutely than you can know." He told her. "But I want to raise our child the way I know how. The tenets and teachings of our way, everything I believe in, it raises us to be strong and to be able to face a world that, even without Nighlock in it is a scary, cruel place."

"Ji..."

"Yes, I want my child to be able to defend themselves, but it's more than that. I want to see them raised in a way that teaches responsibility and honour and..."

"Ji, I think I see the problem here." Mia told him. "To be honest, I can't believe you can't."

He just looked to her a little confused.

"I don't think it's a surprise to Brenda you want to raise your child the way you were raised. It's what you know, and I'm sure that she probably has her ideas how she wants to raise the baby."

"I..." His words tailed off, and he looked to Mia, who just smiled, realising the penny had dropped.

"Did you even discuss it with her?" Mia asked him. "Or did you just presume you would raise the little one like you raised Jayden?"

"I just told her how I wanted to raise the baby." Ji sighed. "With Jayden, I was on my own. I never thought about what she would want."

"Maybe now you can apologise." Mia suggested, patting him on the shoulder.

"Sometimes I wonder when the wisdom of my children surpassed my own." He commented. "Other times I wonder if I had any at all. Thank you Mia."

"You're welcome." Mia replied as she turned back to the Samurai, in time to see Mike heading over to Emily, and presented a little origami flower to his girlfriend, which started to glow, and turned into a real rose. Emily took it, giving him a soft kiss.

"Show off." She teased him. Mike just shrugged.

Just then, Jayden looked to the path, and saw the first signs of the others. Jayden saw Terry coming down the path, making good pace, with Serena a little way behind. Just then, he saw Serena quickening her pace.

On the path, Serena started driving harder down the path. Terry had passed her some way back, and now as the Shiba House was coming closer; she suddenly became overcome with a sense of irritation that he would get back from their punishment run first. She broke into a run, giving it her all as she barrelled past him, narrowly avoiding bowling Terry over.

Terry saw her pass him, and started to speed up himself, quickly catching up. Seeing him, Serena also quickened her pace. Terry couldn't help smiling, which only irritated her more. By now, it was no longer just a punishment drill, now there was pride at stake.

Jayden and the others had stopped what they were doing, and were assembled, watching the race. Jayden looked to Ji, and shrugged. Mike leaned over to Emily.

"I've got five bucks on Serena." He stated.

"You're on!" Kevin and Mia chorused, shaking hands with Emily and Mike to seal the deal. Jayden just smirked.

On the path, Serena and Terry powered with everything they had. Serena could feel her legs burning, protesting with every step, screaming at her to just stop, but seeing Terry, she couldn't allow herself to do so, and her own stubborn nature kept her going. She shoved him a little off the path, at which he just laughed and shoved her back. By the time all was said and done, both of them stumbled, and ended up falling over the threshold and through the gate, ending up in a heap on the gravel.

"Well...I'd call that a draw." Kevin remarked. Emily, Mike and Mia all just nodded in agreement, before heading off to the house to get washed up. Jayden and Ji just approached Serena and Terry, who were breathlessly peeling themselves off the ground.

"Well, I'm glad you both have so much energy." Jayden said with an evil little smirk as he looked down on them. "You can lose the backpacks, you don't need them anymore."

They were both grateful for this part and wasted no time in removing them. Jayden picked them up, before looking to Ji.

"Since you both still seem to have energy to burn, how about five hundred push-ups, five hundred sit-ups and five hundred star jumps? Then you can begin sparring." Ji told them. They both looked up to him, at which he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now would be a good time."

They both got into a push-up position, face-to-face, and began this part of their punishment. Serena looked up, seeing Terry beginning to do his push-ups, and speeded up her own. Terry just smirked as he saw this and did likewise. Ji just walked away, taking a seat on a bench with Jayden and Antonio, who were sharing a bottle of water after training.

"Serena doesn't learn does she?" Ji asked.

"Apparently not." Jayden responded with a little smile. "Although a little healthy competition is nothing to be worried about."

"You think this is healthy?" Ji asked him.

"Maybe not." Antonio said with an evil look on his face. "But it'll definitely make the next couple of weeks fun to watch."

Back at Camp Combat, Spike and the others were all sitting on his bed, listening to him explaining some of the tactics used by SWAT teams. Although she was always careful what she told him, her time on the team had been an important part of her life, and so she had told him a lot about the teamwork, training and tactics they used. He had a sketch pad in his hands, and he had explained a few of the manoeuvres, accompanying them with sketches to demonstrate how they worked.

They all looked around as Ed came into the dorm, and saw them sitting around. He just smiled.

"Lou showed me the targets." He told them. "I have to say, a couple of you are pretty decent shots. Maybe you can give us a run for our money tomorrow."

He saw the pad and smiled as he saw the sketch. He took it gently from Spike's ands and let out a little laugh.

"Well this looks familiar." He stated. "I guess you really are preparing."

"The background work is more important than the shots fired." Spike stated. "If you do the preparation right, you can get by without firing any shots at all."

"I guess your mom talked about us a lot more than I thought." Ed said, inspecting some of the other sketches. "These are really detailed...now, this one...I remember your mom used to take up that position."

"Yeah, she told me." Spike answered.

"Anyway, it's only a couple of hours until the party." Ed reminded them, handing back the pad. "Just remember to have fun and get some rest."

With that, he left the dorm. Melanie and Mal just looked at each other, before heading out.

"We're just going for a walk." Mal told them. "We'll be back in time."

Jimmy and Cody left shortly after them. What they were doing, frankly Spike thought it was best he didn't know. He just looked to Vicky, putting away his sketch pad and smiling.

"You're really into this stuff aren't you?" She asked him.

"I know Kim isn't my biological mom, it's just...she's the only mom I've known." Spike explained. "This stuff was an important part of her life. She talked about it a lot. I guess...I guess I feel a little closer to her when we talked about this stuff."

"Do you think you might...you know...follow in her footsteps?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't really thought much about it." He said honestly. "I'm not really into all that corporate stuff dad does for a living. All that moving around, stuffy board meetings, sheets of numbers...nah that stuff's not for me."

"So, this thing tomorrow," she began, shifting a little closer on the bed, "are you...you know...doing it for your mom?"

"I guess a part of me is." He said with a small smile. "I think she'd love to hear that I put her old team mates in their place."

"Then I guess we're giving this our best shot." She answered. She slipped her hand into his. "Anyway, let's go. I'm sure they'll be serving drinks or something before the barbecue."

Spike just smiled at her and got up, leaving the room, hand-in-hand.


	7. Friendly Competition?

Jayden made his way wearily into the Shiba House, shaking his head in disbelief as he slumped down onto the floor by the low table where everyone was eating. He had been overseeing the punishment drills with Serena and Terry, but by now, even he was exhausted.

The window was open, so they could all hear the sounds of combat. Serena and Terry were clearly going hard at it in sparring, their shinai cracking against each other time and time again. Antonio just looked to Jayden and sighed.

"They're still at it?" He asked. Jayden just gave him a weary look.

"They're even making me feel tired." He told him, before looking to Mia and Emily. "How stubborn are they?"

"Well..." Emily said, sucking her teeth, and shifting uncomfortably. Mia also looked a little awkward.

"Well, Terry told me that one time, he got a B in a paper that affected his mark, and risked him getting a scholarship." She told him. "He asked the teacher to launch an appeal, and he refused, so he stayed outside his bedroom window playing his guitar until he changed his mind."

"That's..."

"He was there almost thirty hours!" Mia interrupted him. "When he gets something in his head, when he decides a game is fun, getting him to stop takes a lot."

"Like almost killing a friend with chocolate peanuts?" Emily asked. Mia just nodded.

"Seriously, if Terry's finding this fun..."

"He was smiling when he started the exercises in the yard." Antonio remarked with a smirk. "Do you think...?"

"Serena's not exactly given him much of a break." Mia told them, holding Emily to assure her that she wasn't saying anything against Serena personally. "By this point, the danger is that he's finding her temper funny."

"God help him if he does." Emily muttered. "I love her and everything, but when Serena's pissed, it's best to clear a blast zone. And I'm talking Chernobyl-level!"

"So, you're leaving them out there alone?" Kevin asked. Jayden just shrugged.

"They know we're here." He told him. "I just told them it's first to ten..."

All of a sudden, they heard a loud yelp, followed by some whooping.

"And the Pink guy scores again!" Terry laughed loudly as they heard a thumping sound, imagining Serena punching the mat in frustration. "Nine-eight Blessed Warrior, nine-eight!"

"I slipped!" Serena screamed in response. "There was a sweat patch on the mat..."

"At least it shouldn't take too much longer." Kevin grumbled. "One more point and they're done."

"Hey!" Emily called out, throwing a cushion at him. "Serena's way better than Terry! No offence Mia. But hey!"

"I have to side with the missus here." Mike told him, pulling Emily in closer. "In fact, here's twenty bucks that says Serena wins."

"She's three points..."

"When Serena gets mad, run like hell." Emily told him. "I'll match it."

Kevin and Mia just looked at each other and smiled.

"Deal." They agreed, putting down their money. Jayden just picked it up and looked to Antonio.

"I guess we're stuck..."

They heard a loud crack, and a shriek of pain.

"How do you like me now sugarplum?" Serena called out, a note of laughter in her voice.

"Oh right, just because a guy feels comfortable wearing pink he's automatically gay?" Terry answered. "Bring it Blessed Warrior!"

"I guess we're stuck holding the money." Jayden reiterated. Antonio just shook his head, putting another twenty inside Jayden's jacket.

"I have twenty saying they both pass out before the tenth point is scored." He stated. Jayden just shook his head and headed for the kitchen.

"I have a headache." He muttered. "All of you just keep an eye on them and make sure no one dies."

The others all rushed to the window to keep an eye, not only on the match, but also their investment.

In another part of town, Brenda came into the apartment, finding a soothing, satisfying aroma waiting for her. She looked around, seeing the table was set for dinner, and a couple of candles were lit.

"I hear they are meant to aid relaxation." Ji told her. "I have been looking through some recipe books, I chose something..."

"Ji, I'm just in the door." She sighed, making her way to the table. Ji came to her, holding some flowers.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He stated. "I know what I'm sorry for, and I truly am sorry."

Brenda just sat down, looking to him. He sighed and got onto his knees before her.

"Please, just let me explain." He told her. "I've raised Jayden since he was six years old. Fatherhood is not unknown to me."

"Ji, I know that." She stated. He just held up a hand to gesture that he needed to continue.

"Jayden lost his mother not long after he was born." He continued. "He lost his father to the war. Before then, the house was full, he had plenty of people around, some of whom already had children and knew what to do to help. After that though...they all went home."

He took Brenda's hands in his, and looked into her eyes.

"For most of his life, it's just been me and Jayden." He told her.

"Ji, I know..."

"Please, I need to finish." Ji interrupted her. "I raised him the only way I knew how. I raised him within the code, the way I had been raised. I didn't know any differently."

He then held her hands a little more tightly.

"I didn't have anyone else to think about." He stated. "I'm sorry for what I said Brenda, I never should have presumed...I never...I would never have..."

She cut him off with a soft kiss and smiled. He now understood.

"We're going to raise this child together." He assured her. "I know what I know, and I believe what I believe, but that doesn't matter. We're both raising this child, and they have a right to decide what they want."

"That's all that bothered me Ji." She told him. "You never discussed it with me. You just told me how our child was going to be trained, to be raised..."

"That will never happen again." He assured her, stroking her cheek softly with his hand. "I would like our child to be trained in my ways, but it is not solely my decision. I understand that."

He sat on the couch with her, and cuddled her to him, feeling the warmth of her arms and felt a joy he had always hoped he would know, but had long since abandoned. He had finally found a woman he loved, and he was going to have a family of his own.

"It'll take some getting used to, sharing parental responsibilities." He told her. Brenda just laughed.

"You think that's bad? This is my first time round." She reminded him. "I'll be relying on your experience."

"Well, I will contribute knowledge where I can." Ji told her, reaching for some juice and pouring them both a glass. "Although if the fates are kind..."

"You know what? Let's let the fates decide what traits the child takes from each of us." Brenda replied, wrapping her arms around him. "Whatever the kid ends up like, we'll face it together."

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden came back from his room after going to read for a little while to let the headache pills work, to find the others all slumped around.

"Are they done yet?" He asked. He only then heard the sound of shinai clashing and held up a hand as Kevin made to answer. "Never mind."

"The score's now nine-nine." Mia mumbled as she settled into Kevin's arms, watching the television glassy-eyed in a mixture of fatigue and boredom. There was a certain time, at which, even sitting around became exhausting.

"Where the hell do they find the energy?" Antonio commented. "They've been at this for hours!"

"When Terry sets his mind on something, he would pretty much kill himself to see it through." Mia assured them.

"You all know Serena's just the same." Emily grumbled. "God, why can't one of them just give up?"

Just then, they heard a loud snap, and fearing the worst, they all rushed outside.

They arrived to see both Terry and Serena standing with shinai that were completely ruined. Serena ran off the mat, grabbing another couple, and throwing one to Terry. Both of them were glittering, dripping in sweat, with every inch of clothing and hair thoroughly matted to them, but neither one willing to give up. As she got back on the mat and they adopted a stance though, it was obvious the end was near. Both of them were noticeably wobbly on their stance, their legs long-since having screamed in submission to fatigue. Both of them supported their shinai, which weighed much less than true katana anyway on their shoulders, their arms having pretty much given up completely to lactic acidosis.

"Alright, one point to a finish!" Serena snapped at him. "Come on sugarplum!"

The Rangers watched on, and their mouths hung open in...well, not quite awe, but more...surprise. By this point, both of them were completely spent, and they were spending more time throwing themselves around than mounting any form of serious offence. Their rubbery limbs led to a lot of flailing, fumbling, and stumbling around, but neither one of them was truly willing to just call it quits.

"Maybe we should..."

"Not yet." Jayden said, cutting Kevin off with a smirk. "I think this is about it."

As they lunged for each other one more time, practically collapsing into each other, they fell to the ground, and just lay there, breathless and spent. Jayden came across, kneeling between them.

"I said to ten points..."

They each lifted their shinai, which they heaved as though it weighed as much as a small car, and gently tapped each other.

"Draw!" They groaned. Jayden just smiled, before gesturing Kevin over. He handed both of them some water, before Emily and Mike lifted Serena and helped her away.

"Same time tomorrow?" Terry asked.

"Count on it sugarplum!" Serena answered in a small chuckle as Emily and Mike helped her back into the house. Jayden and Antonio left Terry in the care of Kevin and Mia. Mia helped her brother sit up, pulling off his shirt to see the collection of bruises on his torso.

"I'm fine sis, you know I am." He told her.

"Terry, why are you pissing Serena off like this?" Kevin asked him.

"Why, what am I doing?" Terry asked. Mia just shook her head as he was about to answer, and gestured to her fiancé to leave them. She just held her brother as he quaffed some water to replace his fluids.

"Terry, you're really pissing her off." Mia warned him.

"I pissed her off anyway." Terry told her.

"Terry, I'm serious about this. What the hell are you doing?" She asked him. Terry just gave her that little smile she always hated as a kid, the one that he always gave her that made her feel like he was so much smarter than she would ever be, the one that let her know that he knew something that she would only ever know if he let her.

"Trust me will you?" He asked her. Mia just sighed.

"You don't make it easy." She answered, slapping him across the back of the head. "Just...don't get killed alright?"

"I don't plan on it." He replied as she left. He got up, and hobbled into the house, preparing to head to his room to wash up.

At Camp Combat, the barbecue was just starting, and everyone was having a great time. They always had a disco and barbecue at the end of the week, Friday to everyone but those on Gold Package, as a way to cap off their week.

Spike was sitting to the side, with a hotdog in his hand as he watched his friends having a good time. Mal and Melanie were dancing, laughing as they did so. He knew they were a little cautious for their own reasons, but he knew, hell, pretty much everyone knew by this point that they meant a lot to each other. In time, something would tip it over the edge, and they would just say screw it and start going out, but for now they were just happy being around each other.

Jimmy and Cody were circulating the Gold Package members, whispering to them about the discussion they'd had in the dorm. He knew that the match was 24-5, but he was also realistic about the fact that two of them were former SWAT, on the same team as his step-mother. The other three were full-time staff at the camp. He knew it would be an uphill struggle even with the numbers on their side. Tactics were important, which was why he was getting Cody and Jimmy to spread the word.

Vicky sat next to him, holding an ice-cream cone in each hand, offering one to Spike. He took it gratefully, at which he discarded his hot dog.

"This is a really great party." She told him. "No doubt they want to exhaust us before the scenario."

"Why do you think I'm sitting down?" He asked her. "I tried to tell Mal and Melanie, but you know them and dancing."

Vicky just let out her usual, piglet-grunting laugh that Spike couldn't help finding cute. He saw her flushing a little as he looked at her.

"This has been a great week." He told her. She just nodded.

"Yeah, it really has." She agreed. She shifted a little closer on the bench. "Um...so...after the scenario..."

"I think we have lunch and then go home." Spike told her. Her shoulders slumped a little.

"Oh." She muttered. "Oh, um...so how hard do you think it'll be?"

"Five trained marksmen against a bunch of kids?" He asked her. "I think we'll win!"

"Right." She replied. "Oh, Melanie, wait up!"

As she ran off, Spike just sat on the bench, keeping an eye on things. He only noticed another presence as he heard a small cough.

"Mind if I sit down?" Greg asked him. Spike just shook his head and gestured to the seat next to him. Greg sat down, sighing as he did so.

"Spike, we've known each other a long time right?" Greg asked him. Spike nodded.

"Yeah, we've known each other..."

"So, you'd think I have a fair idea of the kind of person you are?" Greg interrupted. Again, Spike nodded. "So, can I just ask...what was that?"

"That?" Spike asked, looking confused. He then noticed Greg jerking his head in Vicky's direction. "Oh, you mean...no, we were talking..."

"Tactics for tomorrow, I'm sure." Greg stated. "I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the signals she was giving off."

"Signals?" Spike asked him. Greg just put a hand over his face and shook his head in disbelief.

"Spike, what do you need, runway lights to her lips?" He asked her. "That girl is completely into you!"

"What?" Spike screeched, looking around. He liked Vicky, he liked her a lot. In fact, he had often thought, no hoped, no...he just shook his head. "No, you can't..."

"Kid, I'm trained in psychology. I negotiated with the psychotic, the suicidal, the freaked out...I've seen it all." Greg told him. "Believe me, there are signs."

"You really think...?" Spike began, but then he remembered who he was talking to. Greg was a friend of his mom's. He didn't want to feel like he was putting himself out there like that. He just shook his head. "Well, that's...um...your opinion. And if it's true, it's her problem."

Greg just grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

"Goodnight Spike." He stated. "I'll see you tomorrow when I'm splattering you with paint balls."

"You wish!" Spike called out after him as he looked back to Vicky. Greg was a friend of his mom's, kind of like an uncle, and he really liked Spike. He wanted Spike to be happy, he was sure that Greg had to be seeing what he wanted to see. There was though a part of him that reminded himself that Greg was a profiler and negotiator. He was used to assessing people and figuring them out. Was it possible he was seeing something Spike didn't? He just got up and headed to the dance floor to join his friends. Greg had to be mistaken. After all, if Vicky really did like him, wouldn't he know?


	8. Sugarplum

The following morning, Serena was getting ready for training, dressing in her training gi as opposed to her usual clothing. Since she now knew that she would be taking punishment detail instead of having it sprung on her like the day before, she was sure that being appropriately dressed would mean she wasn't restricted in any way, and would be ready to put Terry in his place.

She clenched her jaw as she tightened her belt, thinking about him. The guy irritated the hell out of her with...well...pretty much everything he did. He was so damned cocky, despite clearly being the weakest member of the team. He had an attitude and ego a mile wide, he never took anything seriously...She tied her hair back roughly and headed out the door, making her way to the training yard, finding Terry there, lying on a bench, waiting for her.

"What kept you?" He asked with his arrogant little smirk that always made Serena want to slap him as hard as she could. She just snorted and went to the weapons rack, picking up a shinai as the others came out of the house, laughing and joking. Jayden just smiled as he saw them.

"Well rested are you?" He asked. "I hope so, because..."

He was interrupted as the Gap Sensor sounded, alerting them to danger in the city. They all ran inside, where Ji was checking the map.

"There's a nighlock, a couple of blocks from the flood canals." Ji informed them. "The signal indicates it's a strong one."

"How are the ribs?" Jayden asked him. Ji just nodded in understanding.

"I'll be ready if I'm needed." He answered. Serena just looked to Terry.

"Don't think this gets you off the hook sugarplum." She stated. "I'll be waiting when you get back."

"Come on." He stated, pulling out his morpher. The others all followed him, a flash of light in the hallway indicating they had morphed as they went. As they disappeared, Serena turned around, seeing Mia looking at her, with a little smirk on her face.

"What?" Serena snapped.

"Sugarplum?" Mia asked her.

"Yeah, sugarplum, as in the sugarplum fairy." She explained. "Come ON! He's a guy that habitually runs around in pink!"

"Whatever." Mia sniggered as she turned her attention to the table-monitor and tapped it, pulling up an image from one of the many camera feeds around the city, looking for the Nighlock. Ji and Serena both just sat with her and watched for the battle to come.

Over at Camp Combat, the other kids had been picked up, leaving only the Gold Package guests at the camp. Saturday was reserved purely for Gold Package guests to take part in a battle against the camp instructors. Melanie just leaned in towards Mal.

"Isn't this kind of violating the Sabbath?" She asked him. He just sniggered.

"You really think the Jews always had the luxury of deciding not to fight on Saturday?" He asked in response. "I have no problems making an exception for this."

"Alright kids, you all know why you're here. You are here under the false hope of being able to bring down our team." Ed stated, gesturing to himself, Greg, and the other camp counsellors, dressed in combat gear. "All week, you've been the blue and red teams. But today, you are all the white team, whereas we are black team."

"The objective is simple." Greg told them. "The winner is the team that wipes the other out. Every time one of the guests is taken out, you'll hear an air horn. Any time one of us is taken out, you'll hear a bell."

"We're all heading into the battle zone now." Ed stated, pointing to a bell. "Once that bell rings, you can come in."

They pulled on their face masks and headed into the battle zone. Spike just looked to his friends.

"Alright, just like we talked about." Spike told them. "Just stay close, keep in communication..."

"Stay frosty." Jimmy stated. They all just glared at him, at which he shrugged. "What?"

"Aliens?" Vicky asked her brother. "Really?"

She pulled down his mask, so hard that it obscured his vision. As the bell sounded, and all of them put on their masks, they headed into the battle zone.

This zone was much larger than any other, and had more 'buildings' than any of the others they had fought across. It seemed to fit that they reserved this for the Gold Package scenario. Spike held up a hand.

"I recognise the layout." He told them, thinking about it for a moment. He gestured to some of them and pointed to the right. "You go that way."

"Who put you in charge?" One of them demanded.

"My mom was on the same team as these guys!" Spike stated. "I recognise this layout from one of the reports she showed me. It's based on one of their missions!"

"Works for me." One of them stated, before seven of them ran that way. Another seven ran to the left as Spike indicated that direction, leaving nine of them. Spike started cautiously down one of the 'streets', closely followed by the other eight.

"There's a sniper perch that way." He stated, gesturing down an alley. "You four check it."

They ran off, leaving Spike, Cody, Vicky, Mal and Melanie on their own. Spike gestured to the others to follow him, sweeping the area with his gun, and smiling.

"They're close." He assured them. "You can count on that."

Over in Panorama City, the Rangers arrived to find a Nighlock, and the inevitable Mooger escort in the process of tearing the place up. While there weren't many people around, there was a skate park, that because of the school holidays, was uncharacteristically busy. That meant one thing...the potential for civilian casualties.

"Alright Nighlock, the party's over!" Jayden announced. The creature looked to them and let out a huge, bleeting laugh.

"Really?" It demanded. "You think so?"

"Dude...is that...a sheep?" Antonio asked, withdrawing a little. While no more bizarre than many of the creatures they had faced, the Nighlock was indeed somewhat bizarre to behold. It did look a lot like a bipedal sheep! It had cloven hooves for feet, and its legs and arms were muscular, but it had thick, deep red wool all over its torso. On its head, it had a couple of long, looping horns.

"I'm a Ram you moron!" It snapped in response. "They call me Aries the Warrior!"

"You know...he's kind of cute." Emily stated. "He looks kind of cuddly for a Nighlock."

"You are SO going to pay for that!" Aries screamed, a bastard sword appearing in his hands as he charged. The Rangers all charged towards him, ready to intercept him, but spreading out to sweep through the Nighlock contingent too.

Terry saw Aries' eyes glowing, and anticipating an attack, threw himself aside. A beam fired at him, narrowly missing him, but he spun around, seeing it strike a speeding ambulance, sending it tumbling. He picked himself up, and saw Jayden and Antonio setting about Aries, but found himself torn. The ambulance had its siren on, meaning it probably had a casualty inside. He quickly made his decision and split off from the others, heading to the ambulance, looking inside.

In the Shiba House, the others were watching the battle on the screen. In many ways, Mia was always restless when she saw the others fighting without her, wishing she could help. She hated the war, and the constant fighting, but she hated being on the sidelines even more, since it meant she couldn't protect her friends.

"What is he doing?" Serena demanded. "There's a Nighlock..."

"That ambulance may have a critical patient inside." Ji told her. "He probably feels..."

Just then, he emerged from the ambulance. With one look to the others, who were still locked in battle, he ran the opposite way, leaving them behind.

"Ji, we need your help!" Jayden's voice stated. "For a sheep, this guy's..."

"I'm a Ram!" The Nighlock's voice roared out as Jayden was smashed to the ground.

"I'm on my way." Ji assured him, morphing as he left the room. Serena had a very dark look in her eyes, and she was noticeably tense.

"Serena?" Mia asked her nervously. Serena just ran from the room. Mia followed her, seeing her snatching up the keys to Ji's motorcycle, and heading outside. She arrived at the door, finding Serena pulling on a helmet. "Serena, where are you going?"

"To teach that useless cowardly brother of yours a lesson in responsibility!" She shot back as she roared off into the distance. Mia knew she couldn't do anything to stop her, she only hoped that whatever unfolded now resolved itself without too much pain involved.

At Camp Combat, Spike and his friends continued to look around for signs of their targets. They had already heard a dozen air horn blasts, indicating that half of the kids were already out. They had yet to hear a bell.

He indicated to a building, and kicked the door open, sweeping the inside of it. On the other side, Mal did the same.

"Where are they?" Vicky whispered.

"That's how they operate." Spike explained. "They only come out when they..."

It was then that they heard four more blasts from the air horn.

"When they're ready." Spike told her.

"You said you recognised this from one of your mom's missions right?" Jimmy asked him. Spike nodded as he checked another room. "So...can't you just..."

"Do you really think they'd do things the exact same way if they knew I'd know how they resolved that situation?" Spike asked him. There were another three air horn blasts, but they were followed by a ringing bell.

"One down, four to go." Cody stated.

"Yeah, but now it's only the five of us." Melanie reminded him.

"She's right; we can get cocky once they're all down." Spike told him. "Come on. Let's move."

Serena rode the bike, blasting through the traffic, keeping an eye on the tracker that Antonio had installed. As much as Terry irritated her, she couldn't believe he was so cowardly that he ran out on the others in the middle of a battle.

Skidding to a halt in a parking lot, she checked the scanner, finding that this was the place. Terry had come here.

She put her helmet on the handlebars of the bike, and stormed in, looking for Terry. She didn't pay any attention whatsoever to the people staring at her, dressed as she was in training gear that to the uneducated, had to look a lot like pyjamas.

She stormed around, pushing past people in the hallways, before finally finding Terry standing, still morphed, and leaning against a wall. She came across, but tried to rein herself in, knowing that she couldn't say too much while he was still 'the Pink Ranger', but vowing that this would prove what she had said all along. He didn't deserve the title.

She came across, hitting him to draw his attention. Terry just looked down to her, realising she was upset.

"Uh..."

"That's all you have to say?" Serena demanded. "You're more useless..."

"Mr. Pink Ranger?" A surgeon said, coming out of a room. Serena turned away instinctively so he wouldn't see her face, but Terry looked to him. "The surgery went well."

"How is she?" Terry asked.

"It will be a while before we know for sure, but I'm confident in the results." The surgeon assured him. "Denise is lucky to have a Power Ranger looking out for her."

Serena didn't know what was going on, and wanted to ask Terry about it, but before she could, he shoved her rather forcefully into another room, shutting the door. Serena wanted an explanation, but as she opened the door, she saw a woman with Terry, and held back, not wanting to risk exposing identities. While she wasn't exactly a celebrity in the city, she was sure that if someone were determined enough, and had an internet connection, seeing her with the Pink Ranger, they could put two and two together. She opened the door ajar, and looked out, seeing Terry with the woman.

"I just...I...I don't know how to thank you." The woman stammered. Terry just held up a hand.

"If Denise makes it through this, that's all the thanks I need." He assured her. "I'm just glad I was there when the ambulance was hit."

"She's been on the waiting list for that heart for two years." The woman told him gratefully. "If it hadn't gotten here..."

"It did." Terry reminded her. "It's best not to think about the 'what ifs' if there's a positive result."

The woman just hugged him tightly, kissing the side of his helmet.

"Thank you." She told him. "The Pink Ranger was always her favourite."

"Denise has got good taste." Terry said with a small chuckle. "When she wakes up, tell her I said get well soon."

"I will." The woman assured him, before heading to the recovery ward. Terry just turned as Serena came out.

"You...you didn't run out because you were scared did you?" She asked him. "That ambulance...it was carrying a transplant organ."

Terry just held his hands on his hips and looked to her. Serena could imagine the expression on his face, knowing he had to be angry at her. She regretted already her snap judgement about his actions, but knowing what she did now, it made her feel terrible. He shoved her back into the room and slammed the door closed so no one could hear them talking.

"When I checked for a patient, the paramedics told me about the heart." He told her. "I'm a med student. I know that transplant organs have a finite amount of time before they can't be used. They gave me the heart and I brought it here."

"Terry, I'm sorry!" Serena stated. "I...I...I jumped to conclusions. I should never have thought...you did a good thing." He just looked at her, and she could imagine the cocky little smile she hated behind his helmet.

"Did you...did you just give me props?" He asked her. "I'm going to have to remember that."

With that, he opened a window and leapt out, heading back into the city. Serena just groaned as she headed back to the parking lot. She was sure he was going to make sure the others gave her hell for this.

Back at Camp Combat, Spike and his team were still looking for three members of the black team, having taken down one of the counsellors a short while before. Spike held up a hand, gesturing to them to stop.

"The ground's open here." He told them. "There's no cover, they might have been leading us here."

He thought for a second, and gestured for a split.

"Cody, you take Mal and Melanie that way." He told them. "Search all the buildings like I told you, Vicky, Jimmy, come this way."

As they crept into a building, they were ambushed by two of the black team. Jimmy took a hit, and was eliminated, but Spike and Vicky reacted quickly enough to take them both out. Spike and Vicky took a second to compose themselves as they heard three air horns and two bells.

"The others." Vicky stated. "They must..."

"Only two of them..." Spike's words were cut off by another air horn. He just sighed. "That's it; it's just two of them and two of us."

"So...where are they?" She asked him. Spike saw something and ran off, followed closely by Vicky.

He approached quickly, but the guy saw him and levelled his gun, ready to take Spike out. Vicky shoved him aside, taking the hit instead. Spike fired a couple of times, taking the other guy out. He just laughed.

"Nice going Spike." Greg told him as the bell and the air horn sounded. "You got me."

"Now I just need to get your friend." Spike stated.

"Good luck there." Greg chuckled as he and Vicky walked off. Spike heard some movement and spun around, firing some rounds, but failing to hit the guy running around.

He heard some more movement and fired again, this time in the opposite direction. He moved into cover.

"Damn, he's fast." Spike commented. "Ed, it's you isn't it?"

There was no answer. He heard a movement, and tried hard to locate it. Eventually, he pinpointed the source of the noise and ran out, firing as he saw Ed leaving a building. It took a few shots, but he finally scored the deciding hit.

"YES!" Spike screamed triumphantly as the bell sounded to confirm the 'kill'. "I did it. I..."

His words were cut off as he was hit twice in the back. For good measure, another two hit him in the chest, and he looked up, seeing a black team member lying on a rooftop, taking up a sniper position.

"Nice try kid." Ed stated as he pulled off his mask. "You got closer than anyone."

"But...but..." As both teams assembled, it was only then that Spike understood. There weren't five members of the black team, there were seven. "But...there are only five of you!"

"Never let the enemy know you." Ed explained. "A standard SWAT team is seven people. You should know that."

"But there are only five..."

"Every Saturday, we get two people to join us for the Gold Package scenario." Ed interrupted him. "Sometimes they're members of our old unit, sometimes they're just good players looking for a challenge."

"Still, I think you deserve credit." Greg said, putting an arm around Spike. "Your team got closer than anyone. You got five of us. You should be proud." Ed put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'd say your mom would be proud too." Ed stated. "Although, I don't believe in speaking for other people, so..."

He turned and looked to the other two team members. Spike's eyes lit up as they pulled off their masks.

"Mom!" He screamed excitedly. "Dad!"

He threw himself into an enthusiastic hug as the others started to head to the dorms to change. Skull and Kim just held their son as he gripped them tightly.

"I didn't...I thought..."

"We know you were disappointed you couldn't come to see us over summer." Kim told him. "We arranged this instead."

"Unfortunately we can't stay long." Skull said to his son apologetically. "I managed to shuffle some things around and get a couple of days, so we're hoping your uncle..."

"There's loads of room!" Spike shrieked, before gripping them tightly again. A little way off, Vicky was watching and couldn't help smiling. She loved seeing Spike so happy.

Back at the Shiba House, Serena arrived, putting the motorcycle keys in the bowl by the door, and could hear the discussion in the main room.

"His wool was so thick; it was insane trying to get a decent hit on him." Mike stated. "Seriously, it was hard to know where the wool started and he began!"

"Well, you found a way at least." Mia chuckled. "Not to mention you gave me a real craving for lamb chops."

"Serena." Ji announced. "So glad you brought my bike back."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She stated. She went over to Terry, looking at him. "I'm really sorry, I completely misjudged the situation."

"Yeah, you did." He agreed.

"I guess I can expect..."

"Your punishment stands as it is." Ji assured her. "Which reminds me, both of you to the training yard."

"Seriously?" Terry groaned. "I just got back from saving a kid's life!"

"What, so you're tired now sugarplum?" Serena teased him. He just smiled.

"Ji, I'm ready when you are." Terry said as he got up, looking to Serena with a smirk. "Making you eat humble pie twice in one day would just be the cherry on the cake."

"Dream on sugarplum." She sniggered, shoving him out the door as Ji took them outside for their punishment drills. "Dream on."


	9. Playing Hookie

The following day, Serena and Terry were alone in the yard, going through some exercises. The others trusted them enough not to slack off while they went out. It was a beautiful day, so they had all gone to the beach, while Ji had gone into the city to run some errands.

Terry was working on his symbols, while Serena was busy working on trying to unlock the power of the disk Stephen had left her before he died. She spun the disk on the hilt of Kasamune, only to find it stopping a short time later with no effect whatsoever.

Terry couldn't help casting the occasional glance her way, seeing her growing more and more frustrated as she tried to channel her energy into the mystical blade. She growled and tried again, and again, and again...but no matter what she was doing, nothing seemed to work.

Serena hated this. She knew that Stephen obviously had something in mind when he created the disk for her, but she just couldn't get it to work. Worse than that, lately, she wasn't making any progress at all. If anything, she was taking massive steps backwards. She seemed to be even further from her goal than ever.

She couldn't understand it. Nothing she did worked, that much was hardly news. However, she now couldn't feel any of the power she had from it before.

"Do you want to take a break?" Terry asked her.

"I'm fine thanks." She said abruptly, adopting a stance. Terry just sighed.

"Our symbol power is connected to our emotions." He told her. Serena just drove Kasamune into the ground.

"Yeah, that's right Granny." She said sarcastically. "You stick a needle through the shell, wiggle it around to break the yolk, and then suck really hard!"

"You know, you were a lot nicer yesterday." He chuckled, finding her temper tantrum amusing. He knew she was more frustrated with her inability to harness the disk than with him. Although he knew he irritated her, and pretty much relished doing so, he could tell that her frustration with Kasamune was a separate issue altogether.

"Yesterday...I...well..." She mumbled. "Yesterday, you saved a kid's life. It's hard not to be impressed with that."

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day." He said with a little smirk. "Something I did actually impressed you."

"Whatever." Serena grumbled. She spun the disk again, at which it sparked, and spluttered somewhat pathetically, before falling inert. She just cursed loudly, throwing it down.

"Wow, that's not exactly PG language." Terry sniggered, getting up and making his way over. Serena just pointed a finger his way in warning.

"Careful Sugarplum, I don't like you that much." She warned him. He just gave her that same smile that always got a reaction from her, always aggravated her.

"So you do like me?" He asked.

"I didn't say that..."

"I'm honoured." He said with a fake little bow. Serena just grabbed a towel, throwing it at him in a fit of temper.

"You know, that may just be part of the problem." He stated.

"What?" She asked in response.

"Your temper." He clarified as he came closer. "Our Symbol Power is connected to our emotions. It's affected by what we're feeling."

"I've been doing this a long time." Serena said bad-temperedly. "I was able to make sandcastles with my symbol power back when you were in diapers!"

"But what I'm saying is true, you know that." Terry stated. "Our emotions..."

"Emily beat Dekker when she was angry!" She reminded him. Terry just laughed.

"Yeah, she buried him under a mountain!" He reminded her. "She had the power alright, but even you have to admit that's hardly a demonstration of control."

"I guess not." Serena laughed as she thought about it. "Emily always was one for using sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"Wow, you actually can smile." Terry remarked. Serena's face just fell. "No, don't stop, It suits you."

"I haven't had much to smile about recently." She told him. "Now, I need to..."

"Serena, carrying on like this now would be pointless." Terry told her. He knew about what she had been through. Mia had explained a lot about her circumstances, and he understood that of all the team, she had the most to be resentful about. He just looked to her. "How do you feel about playing hookie?"

"Hookie?" She asked him. "We're meant to be on punishment..."

"Don't try and tell me you always followed the rules." Terry said with a little gesture in the direction of Ji's motorcycle. He had left it there, taking the SUV since he was going for groceries. He gave her a little look. "Come on."

"Terry, we..."

"Serena, you're not getting anywhere with this anyway." He reminded her. "You won't until you let go of your anger."

"You really think..."

"I'll tell you what, give me two hours." Terry stated, holding up his hands. "Come on, we're not doing anything important here. If you don't feel any differently, then I'll bring you back and I'll leave you alone from now on."

Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Alright Sugerplum." She groaned. "Lead the way."

"First...we really need to change." He told her, gesturing to her training gi. "You won't regret this."

"I have a feeling that's wishful thinking." She commented, heading for the house. He just followed her, putting an arm around her. She threw it off.

"Too much Sugarplum." She warned him. "Too much."

At the beach, the Rangers were having a whale of a time. Antonio, Jayden and Mike were playing a game of Frisbee, which was quickly becoming a game of keep-away from an increasingly irritated Emily. Her small size meant it was relatively simple to throw it just out of her reach, and they were finding it hilarious watching her run around, flailing wildly as she tried desperately to get it.

Kevin came out of the water, having enjoyed some time to get some swimming in, coming to Mia's side. She was the only one that seemed not to be having a complete ball, instead just reading Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress" as they all played. Given the cast, she couldn't go in the water, and she doubted taking part in a game of Frisbee would do her recovery any good.

"How's the water?" She asked him. Kevin just smiled.

"It's really mild." He told her. "It feels great getting back to it."

"I guess it's only natural you've been thinking about it." Mia answered, putting a bookmark into the pages, holding her place. "The news has been all about the Olympics lately."

"Yeah, I had kind of noticed that." He commented. "2016's not THAT far away."

"It still has to be hard to think about." Mia answered, beginning to play with some sand absent-mindedly. "I know it's not the same thing, but because of the arm, being on the bench like this...sometimes it's hard seeing all of you working, training..."

"Mia, I'm not going to go all nut-job on you again." He chuckled. "It kind of sucks that I can't go to London, but seriously, I'm over it."

"But your dream isn't like any of ours." She replied. "We can get married any time. Emily can go to college any time. Your dream, the Olympics...if you don't make it next time..."

"I already accepted that my dream isn't likely." He assured her, stroking her shoulders gently. "Well, that one anyway. My dreams have kind of changed lately."

"Really?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"What Ji has with Brenda, that's what I want." He told her. She just smiled.

"You mean...?"

"Obviously a lot of that depends on you." He told her. "But now when I'm dreaming, now when I'm imagining myself on a podium being given a medal, it's not just me up there. Now, I'm there with our baby."

She leaned into him as he held her, watching over the others playing.

"Come on guys, that's not fair!" Emily whined as the Frisbee soared over her head yet again. "Stop it, I want to play!"

"Alright Em, we'll let you play." Jayden assured her as she ran to him. He then launched the Frisbee over her head yet again, in Antonio's direction. Kevin and Mia just laughed as she ran after it.

"I'm really looking forward to it." Kevin assured her. "If it wasn't for all this, if we could just get the families together...I'd marry you right now. I'd really like to meet your parents first. Dad told me so much about them."

"I'm sure they'd love to meet you too." She answered. "Considering you do want to take their only daughter from them."

They just held each other, turning back to the game as Emily ran away with the others in hot pursuit, having finally managed to snatch the Frisbee out of the air. The others were running after her, laughing as they did so. Mia couldn't help laughing, imagining not the Rangers, but her own kids before her. She looked to Kevin and smiled.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you too." He answered, kissing her softly as he held her.

In another area of the city, Serena was holding onto Terry as he pulled into a parking lot. He flicked down the kick-stand and rested the bike as he killed the engine, getting off the bike. Serena slipped off the back and followed him as he went inside.

She looked around as they got inside, realising where they were. The sterile halls, the desk, the people walking around in scrubs...they were at a hospital. Terry approached the desk, at which one of the nurses smiled.

"Terry, this is a surprise." She stated. "I thought you dropped out."

"Well, I did have to take a sabbatical." He told her. "That doesn't mean to say the kids have to wear it. Can I have it?"

She held up a hand, and walked away into the back, coming back a little later with an acoustic guitar. She handed it over the desk.

"They'll be really glad to see you." She told him. He just smiled, before heading for a side room. Serena followed him, seeing where he was going. It was the Children's Ward. As he went in, she could see all of the kids suddenly lighting up. They cheered as he went in.

"Well, I guess you all remember me." He chuckled. He pulled up a seat and sat down, beginning to tune up. Serena couldn't help smiling too as the kids leapt out of bed and started to surround him, sitting on the floor, looking up to him. "If you'll just give me a minute, then we'll begin."

Over at Camp Combat, Spike and his friends were packing up, ready to head home. Kimberly was just saying her goodbyes to her former team mates Ed and Greg in the yard, while Spike packed his stuff into his bag. He didn't even notice as Vicky came in.

"So, you have to be pretty stoked." Vicky stated, causing him to jump. He didn't know how she did that, normally he was pretty alert and aware. People rarely managed to sneak up on him, but somehow Vicky managed to find a way. He just looked to her.

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've seen dad." Spike responded. "I know they need to work on things, but I really miss them."

"From what I've seen, the feeling is pretty mutual." She answered. Spike just let out a little laugh.

"Yeah, they always are a little full-on when it comes to me." Spike told her. "I am their only kid."

"They never had any more?" Vicky asked him. He just sighed and shook his head.

"They tried for a while." Spike told her. "It just never happened."

She felt a little badly for bringing the subject up. Spike could see the saddened look on her face and approached her, hugging her.

"It's fine, really." He told her.

"Jimmy drives me up the wall all the time." She admitted. "But I can't remember a time I wasn't a big sister. It's a huge part of who I am. He drives me nuts, but I can't imagine him not being around."

"I guess you don't miss what you never had." Spike told her. "Kim...mom...she's been great to me. I wish things had been different. I wish...sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have brothers and sisters."

"In a word, annoying." She giggled. As she looked to him, he couldn't help smiling. Their eyes connected, and for a moment, it felt like his heart stopped altogether. Everything stopped as he looked into her eyes. It was only as the door opened, and they heard a noise, a small coughing, that they snapped back to reality.

"The car's ready." Kimberly told them. "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yeah, we'll be right there mom." Spike answered. Kimberly looked between them both and smiled, before picking up Spike's bag and heading out.

"We're heading out soon." She told them. "We thought we'd eat out tonight. Vicky, would you like to join us? The others are..."

"I'll call my mom." She answered, pulling out her cell phone. "I'm sure she won't mind."

As Vicky left, Kim looked to Spike, and he could see where her thoughts were going.

"She's just a friend mom." He assured her. She just nodded.

"OK." She answered with a little, hugging him and kissing his cheek gently. "She's just a friend."

"She is!" Spike protested as he followed her out the form. Kim just nodded.

"I believe you." She answered with a chuckle.

Back at the hospital in the city, Serena was sitting with a little girl on her knee, listening to him as he played his guitar. Terry seemed to be having the time of his life as the kids listened to him.

"So looooo-ooong honey babe yeah,  
Where I'm bound, I can't tell.  
Goodbye's too good a word babe,  
So I'll just say...fare thee well."

He looked around the kids with a broad grin as he neared the end of his song, Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice it's Alright.

"You just kinda wasted my...precious time."

The kids all joined him for the last line.

"But don't think twice, it's alright!" They called out as he finished up. He got up, putting his guitar aside. "Alright kids, I have to go now..."

They all started to moan and protest, but he just held up his hands.

"It's alright; I'll be back in a couple of days." He assured them. "I promise, I'll be back soon."

They left the ward, leaving the kids to rest up. Serena generally hated hospitals, having spent a lot of time in them when she was sick, but for the first time since Emily was born, she had actually found herself enjoying her time in the hospital. Terry looked to her, and she just smiled.

"So...?"

"Alright, that was kind of fun." She admitted.

"I like coming here every now and then." He told her. "The kids like it, and when I see what they're going through, if I can help them take their minds off it, even for a little while, it makes me feel good about myself."

"I'll bet it does." Serena commented, casting a look back to the ward. "That girl I was holding, Jenny..."

"She's going to get her tonsils out later." Terry stated. "I may only be a med student, but I can't help taking a little look at the charts."

"She's going into surgery tomorrow." She answered. "You made her happy. I can see why you like that."

"Well, I do what I can." Terry told her.

"You know, maybe if there had been someone like you around when I was in hospital, it wouldn't have seemed too bad." She commented. He just laughed.

"You know, that's the second time today you've said something nice to me." He commented. Serena paused, unable to answer. She struggled to find something to say in response. It was as she stumbled over her words, trying to find a comeback. He just smiled.

"I like cheering the kids up. The way I see it, it's just another part of the healing process." He told her. "Trust me, it doesn't matter how bad you feel. If you ever visit the cancer ward, your own problems don't seem to matter much."

"I can imagine." Serena answered, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for this. I really had a good time."

"You know, if you keep this up, I'll start thinking you don't really hate me after all." Terry chuckled. Serena just shoved him playfully as they headed for the parking lot, preparing to head home.

**A/N: **The song Terry was singing was Bob Dylan's "Don't think Twice its Alright." Needless to say, he owns the rights, I don't.


	10. A Little Hiccup

Terry and Serena managed to get back to the Shiba House, fortunately before Ji or the others did. Serena had genuinely enjoyed the visit to the hospital, something that she wasn't really expecting. She had hated hospitals for years, not without reason considering the fact that she had spent a couple of years in one, being used as a human pincushion back while she was ill, only to still be told that it was hopeless and sent home to live out her remaining time.

This time though, she found that the visit wasn't quite so intolerable. She had barely noticed the sterile smell that still triggered feelings of sickness in her when she smelled it, flooding her mind with memories of being bedridden and helpless. The kids they had seen were all in hospital for a reason, no one stayed in hospital particularly long if they could help it, but when they saw Terry, they had all lit up, and for a time, they forgot all about their illness and their pain.

She couldn't believe the change in Terry either. Their early relationship had been somewhat strained, largely coloured by his ill-considered joke putting Emily's life in danger. She had thought of him largely as an irresponsible idiot. She had made her feelings on the matter more than clear, but seeing the way he helped the kids, she was starting to see that there was another side to him that he didn't always show. He never took life too seriously, but once he had finished with his performance, she had seen him talking to a few of the kids, and could swear that he was even examining him.

He wasn't yet a doctor, indeed as a result of the time he had given up to take Mia's place, he would have to defer his medical training for another year, but he was clearly gifted. He knew a lot of things that the others clearly didn't.

They had gotten changed back into their training gear, and were heading back out to the training yard when Ji arrived back. He saw them coming out of the house, and furrowed his brows.

"You're not training." He commented.

"Yeah, we...uh..."

"I slipped and fell." Serena told him. "I guess I'm more like Emily than I thought. I tweaked my wrist; Terry was just checking it over."

"Really." He sighed, looking a little unconvinced. He looked between them, and just shook his head. He could see that he wasn't going to get any answers from either of them. They were clearly only going to cover for each other. He also doubted there was any way he could prove anything other than the story they had given him. He just made his way towards the house.

"Brenda's getting a check-up with her doctor." He informed them. "I just came to collect some things to make her dinner when she gets home."

"Well, let her know we're thinking about her." Serena told him.

"I will." He assured them as he went inside. He couldn't help smiling a little. Seeing Terry and Serena closing ranks and covering for each other was somewhat heartening. He was never completely happy when the others lied to him, but he had been hoping to see Serena and Terry finally agree on something for days. Now, it seemed they did have a common goal. It wasn't ideal, but it was a start, maybe his house wouldn't turn into a warzone after all.

"Think he bought it?" Terry asked her as Ji left. Serena shook her head.

"I sincerely doubt it." She answered. "I learned long ago nothing goes on here without Ji knowing about it."

"So, why didn't he bust us?" Terry asked her. She just shrugged.

"I'd guess he probably figures its more hassle than it's worth trying to get us to admit it." She answered him honestly. "Besides, this is the first time in a couple of days he hasn't seen us trying to kill each other."

"Each other?" Terry chuckled. "I'd say it's been pretty one-way up until now."

He handed her a shinai, and twirled one as he stepped onto the mat. Serena followed him.

"Yeah, I guess I have given you a rough time." She admitted. Terry just smirked.

"Was that...was that an apology I just heard?" He asked her. Serena just rushed forward, swinging for him, their shinai colliding with a loud crack as he parried.

"Don't push your luck!" She warned him as they spun away from each other.

Back at the beach, the others were having a whale of a time, enjoying the rare opportunity to relax. Now that Dekker appeared to have ended his campaign against them, they were no longer confined to the house, and it seemed that Serrator had exhausted a lot of his resources in the battle to save Dekker from being destroyed.

Emily had managed to find an ice-cream van passing on a nearby road, and so they were taking a break from their beach games to enjoy a little snack. Even Kevin didn't seem to object to the unscheduled snack, opting not to remind them that ice-cream wasn't part of a balanced, Samurai diet.

"It's been too long since we've been able to do this." Mike commented as he put his arm around Emily. "I wish Serrator and Xandred would square off more often. If we're lucky, maybe they can finish each other off."

"Well, we can hope." Jayden said with a shrug. "We know Xandred's power now. If there's someone in the Netherworld that can tackle him first, that can soften him up for us; it might not be a bad idea to let them start the hard work."

"I just hope he never figures out how to break that curse." Antonio said as he noticeably shuddered at the thought. "He stomped the crap out of us, and he was only able to stay about five minutes."

"Yeah, we lucked out there." Kevin agreed. "I don't think we can rely on having that kind of luck again."

"What do you think Mia?" Emily asked, seeing that Mia was sitting reading. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. With the exception of Mentor Ji and Kevin, she was the one that spent most of her time poring over the books dedicated to their history, but since Dekker had broken her wrist, she seemed to spend all her time either playing chess with Serena, or with her nose in a book. Emily waved her hand between Mia's face and the book. "Hello...Earth to Mia, come in Mia!"

"What?" She asked, looking to them.

"We were talking about Xandred." Emily told her. "I know we're working a lot harder now, and now we've got this breathing space, we're just trying to figure out where we all stand."

"Well, Serena's still working hard trying to get that power disk working." Mike commented. "I know we've said this before, but I just get this feeling in my gut that if she can do this, then that'll deal with Dekker once and for all."

"Well, after last time, I'm not wanting to take any chances." Jayden told them. "I broke Urumasa before, and that didn't get the job done. We need to destroy it completely."

"Well, with any luck, taking care of Dekker will also take care of Dayu." Kevin suggested. "I mean, she's all about releasing Dekker right? If he's not cursed anymore, what would she have left to fight for?"

"That still leaves Xandred, Serrator and Octoroo." Jayden reminded them. "Not to mention that presumes there's no other ambitious Nighlock waiting to rise to take their place."

"Octoroo's too much of a coward to make any moves." Mike reminded them. "I think he's probably going to do the same as us, bide his time and hope that Serrator and Xandred do each other in."

"Not to mention he probably hopes we finish off the dirty work." Emily added. "He might be the one to watch in all of this."

"You still haven't told us what you're thinking about Mia." Kevin stated, nudging his fiancée gently. Mia just sighed and turned the book around, showing them something.

"What are you reading?" Jayden asked her. She just shook her head.

"It's probably nothing." She told them. She then looked to her and smiled. "Anyway, I thought we were taking a break? What's with all this Xandred talk?"

"I guess it's been so long since we could relax, none of us know what to do with ourselves anymore." Jayden commented.

"Well, we've still got a couple of hours before we need to be back." Mike reminded them, slurping the last of his ice cream. "Who's up for helping me with a sandcastle?"

With that, Emily, Antonio and Jayden ran off after him. Kevin just looked back to Mia, looking a little concerned. She was still clearly distracted by it. She was very quiet about whatever she was thinking about, it had clearly gotten to her.

"Aren't you going with them?" She asked him. He just shook his head.

"I think I'd rather stay here with you." He told her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Kevin, really." She assured him. "Go on, I'm not kidding. I'll be fine here."

Kevin was reluctant to go, but he eventually did, making his way to the others. Mia just turned her attention back to the book, and continued reading.

In another part of town, Spike, Bulk, Kimberly and Skull made their way into the city after dropping Spike's friends all back home. None of them felt especially much like cooking, and it was starting to get late, so Bulk had suggested they go into the city for something. Spike had suggested a steakhouse in the city that had a great reputation.

"This seems like a nice place." Skull complimented his son, taking a look around. It was a reasonably high-end place, likely the reason Spike had chosen it. It had been a long time since he had seen Kim, and even longer since he had seen his dad. He obviously wanted them to have a good time, and wanted everything to be right for them.

"I've only been here once, for my last birthday." He told them. "I just thought you'd like it."

"The menu looks great." Kimberly stated. "I always did like surf and turf."

"Could we have a bottle of the house red and a couple of colas?" Bulk asked the waiter. "We'll just take a couple of minutes to decide."

The waiter went to go and collect their order, leaving them alone. Skull just looked to Spike and smiled.

"I can't believe how much you've changed." He commented. "You've grown."

"The city really seems to agree with you." Kimberly agreed. "Your friends seem really nice."

"They really are great." Spike answered. "Cody's transferring to Central next year. It'll be great to have him at our school."

"You know, Vicky seemed to be really nice." Kimberly said as the drinks arrived. "Is there anything going on there?"

"Mom, please!" Spike groaned, taking a sip of his cola. Skull just got a little smirk on his face as he saw his son squirming.

"Are you trying to tell us you haven't thought about it?" He asked him. "I saw the way you were looking at her at that paintball game."

"Can we not do this?" Spike begged them. "Vicky's just a friend."

"If you say so." Kimberly answered with a wink as the waiter came back. "What's tonight's soup?"

Spike just shook his head in defeat, trying in vain to hide behind his menu. He knew he liked Vicky, and clearly they had picked up on it too. He knew they didn't mean to embarrass him, but sometimes because they hadn't seen him in a while, they had a habit of trying to overcompensate. He had to remind his dad that it would be another couple of months until his sixteenth birthday when his dad wrote to him to suggest he might buy him a car. He wouldn't be able to legally learn to drive it until the beginning of the next term. Now that they knew about his feelings for Vicky, he could only hope that they wouldn't be too obvious in trying to push them together.

Back at the Shiba House, Serena and Terry were still training when the others came back from the beach. Sereana just laughed as she managed to score a strike across his back. Terry let out a little grunt, before turning back to her, preparing for another round.

"That was tricky." He told her with a little grin. "I'll give you that. It was tricky."

"There's nothing tricky about being better!" She chuckled as they started again. The others all took a seat on the benches nearby to watch them. They always found it funny to watch them punish each other on the sparring mats. Both of them seemed to be coming round to enjoying the competition. They were both becoming used to each others' style, and they were not being caught by each other's tricks and moves as often.

Serena lunged for him, only for him to parry it, and seize her wrist, looking to throw her. Unfortunately though, she was a lot quicker and reversed it, throwing him onto the ground. She landed on top of him, her shinai across his chest as she leaned in closely.

"See what I mean?" She asked him. "Better."

"Maybe." He replied, grapevining her leg with his, and grabbing her wrist. He bridged up, rolling both of them over. He laughed as he held his shinai across her throat, throwing hers aside, leaving her unarmed. "But I'm stronger."

"That's what you think!" She answered, beginning to struggle against him. He managed to grab her wrists, pinning her down. She struggled a little while longer, both of them laughing until eventually, she breathlessly just submitted.

"So, my point?" He asked her. She just nodded. She was breathing heavily, spent by her exertions. She just looked up to him.

"Could you get off me now?" She said, starting to settle down a little.

"I thought you didn't need my help?" He asked her, leaning in. "I thought you were better than me."

She just laughed, looking up to him. She tried to remove his hands, but he had the leverage on his side, so he kept her pinned down. It was then that she saw something out the corner of her eye, and turned, seeing the others staring at them. Terry started to back off a little, giving Serena enough room to move around. Looking back down to her, she saw her face turn to a look of disgust.

"What the... are you...?" She got a foot up onto his chest, and shoved him off aggressively, sending him tumbling to the floor, smacking the back of his head off the mat. She started to scramble away from him, rolling back to her feet as she glared at him. "Were you trying to cop a feel?"

She looked to the others, and then back to Terry, looking more than a little angry.

"What?" Terry half-laughed, looking to the others, and then back to her. "You're...you're serious aren't you? Serena, we were just messing around!"

"We were supposed to be training!" She screamed at him, shoving him roughly, putting him back on his ass.

Just then, before any of them could say anything, Serena stormed off, leaving the Shiba House behind her.

"Serena!" He called out as he ran after her, but stopped at the gate as he saw her disappearing in the distance; resigning himself to the fact he was never going to catch her now.

"What...what was that about?" He asked the others. "We were working, but we've been working hard all day, so we just messed around a bit...What did I do now?"

"Come on, let's just get inside." Mia told her brother, guiding him back towards the house. "Serena will come back when she's ready."

"I'll go after her." Emily told them, heading out of the house after her sister. Jayden just looked to Kevin, Mike and Antonio and just shrugged.

"At least she didn't beat the crap out of him this time." He stated, putting his arm around the Gold Ranger, holding his boyfriend closely. "Come on, I set the TiVo to record Kill Bill last night."

"Uma Thurman in tight clothing?" Mike said with a shrug. "What's not to love?"

"Emily if I tell her you like perving on other women wearing her colour?" Kevin teased him. Mike just laughed.

"OK, I guess that would suck." He admitted. "Of course, then I might have to tell Mia the real reason you've seen the film 'Dead or Alive' like seven hundred times."

"Shutting up now." Kevin agreed with a fist bump as they went inside.


	11. The Deadly Power of Words

Emily finally found Serena, pacing around in a small clearing in the forest just outside of town. She was shouting and screaming, discussing aloud what had happened, complaining to nobody about what had happened. In her rage though, it seemed like she wasn't concentrating on the words coming out of her mouth, meaning that all that came out was a few disconnected words, and some that weren't even recognisable as words at all. As Emily approached, trying to get her attention, Serena spun around, seemingly ready to strike, only stopping when she saw her sister. Emily panicked and fell on her butt as she backed off, holding up her hands.

"Serena, it's me!" She squeaked out. Serena just rolled her eyes and grabbed Emily's hand, hauling her to her feet. Emily just looked to her. "So...that thing with Terry, what was that...?"

"Can you believe him?" Serena interrupted her. Emily just backed down, figuring it was best to just let Serena vent. To say she was upset was somewhat like saying Antarctica was a little nippy. "That arrogant, self-important, two-faced...gah! How the hell is it possible he and Mia share DNA?"

"Serena..."

"Just when I was starting to think I was wrong about him...that stuff at the hospital...that Mary Poppins act...that was all a set-up...!"

"Serena, what act at the hospital?" Emily asked her. "He delivered a transplant heart. I don't really think he can fake that."

"I wasn't talking about that. I meant today!" She clarified. Emily just looked confused, at which Serena realised her mistake. The others were all out, and they were supposed to be working on punishment drills. She just groaned. "Terry and I played hookie for a couple of hours OK? He took me to the children's ward and played guitar for the kids."

"You and Terry played hookie?" Emily asked her a little judgementally.

"Oh don't start!" Serena snapped. "Don't think I don't know you and Mike played hookie when the last Twilight movie came out."

"What can I say? Taylor Lautner's hot." Emily mumbled. "Anyway, you played hookie...to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah, he went to play his guitar for the kids." She snorted, beginning to pace around again. "He did this whole act to cheer up the kids. He's really pretty good with that guitar...but now I can see it was all just an act to win me over. I was right about him all along; he's just a self-absorbed..."

"He isn't exactly that self-absorbed if he gives up his own time to make kids feel better." Emily pointed out.

"Emily, he probably pulls crap like this all the time!" Serena called out. "Just look at him. He plays guitar, he sings...he probably just gets girls to think he's all cool and deep and then..."

"Serena, what is up with you?" Emily interrupted her. "He's been trying really hard to be nice to you! He's been nothing but nice to all of us!"

"He's a jackass Emily; he could have killed you with that peanut stunt!" Serena stated defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "The sooner Mia hurries up and gets that cast off her arm, the sooner we can get his useless, worthless butt out of here!"

"Serena, how many times does he have to try to make things up to you?" Emily asked her. "I saw what was going on..."

"NOTHING WAS GOING ON!" Serena roared. Emily just shook her head slowly.

"He was just messing around. It's exactly like that time we walked into the dojo and found Kevin and Mike wrestling." She told her. "What did you think I meant?"

Serena just fell silent and turned away.

"Just get out of here Emily." Serena told her. "I just want to be alone."

"I'm not leaving you out here alone like this Serena." Emily put down flatly. "Look, I know you and Terry got off on the wrong foot, but he's been trying really hard. He's made some mistakes, but who hasn't?"

"Most of us haven't made mistakes that almost got someone killed." Serena stated. Emily just smirked.

"Why don't we tell Cody that?" Emily asked her. Serena's mouth just hung open as Emily stung her with her armour-piercing point. Serena's desire for revenge had caused her to use Cody to find Serrator. She had almost gotten him killed, and in the process of unleashing the Bull Zord, had almost caused the city to be destroyed. She had banished herself from the city for a time over it, vowing only to return when she was confident she would no longer put the others in danger for her own revenge.

Emily just hugged her, hoping that she hadn't hurt Serena too much by bringing that up. It was a little bit of a low blow, but she wanted Serena to see that Terry's mistakes didn't make him a bad person. She parted from her and smiled.

"I really doubt he was trying anything. The guy's terrified of you as it is. He knows trying anything on would be suicidal." She assured her. "I'm the one he almost killed, and even I can give him a fair go."

"But Emily, I can't stand the guy!" She complained. "He annoys the hell out of me!"

"Well, he can't annoy you that much." Emily told her. Serena just looked annoyed.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Serena demanded.

"You did go to a hospital by choice." Emily reminded her as she turned and headed back towards the house. Serena was about to answer, but found that she couldn't. Emily was right about that much. Given her experience, she hated hospitals. It was a chore to even take her temperature if she wasn't virtually bed-ridden. However, Terry had taken her to the hospital, and more than just going, while she was there, she actually had a good time. She enjoyed seeing the kids, and how good the little time Terry spent with them made them feel. She couldn't help smiling as she chased Emily, grabbing her and giving her a noogie.

"Hey!" Emily complained.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate it when you're right?" Serena asked her.

"So, you'll give him a chance?" Emily giggled.

"Only till he pisses me off again." Serena warned her. Emily just shrugged.

"I guess that's better than nothing." She commented, wrapping her arm around her sister.

The following morning, over at Bulk's place, Spike was in the yard, practicing some kata with a shinai. He had missed a good few training sessions lately, given his week at the camp, and his parents coming to town.

Kim and Skull unfortunately were going home that evening. He hated the fact that they would be going away so soon, but he understood that his dad's business interests were still at a crucial point that meant he could spend very little time away. Two days wasn't much, but he was happy that he had seen them at all.

He heard someone clapping, and saw his mom and dad standing in the doorway. Kim in particular looked very impressed.

"Wow, your mom wasn't kidding when she said your sensei's done a good job." Spike complimented him.

"I'll say, you seem to be even better than the last time I saw you." Kimberly agreed. "I think your Uncle Jason would be impressed."

"Thanks." Spike answered as he put his shinai up against the wall. "I really wish you could stay longer."

"We do too." Skull agreed. "But..."

"I know, I understand." Spike sighed. "It just sucks that I don't see you as much as I'd like."

"Well, that's why we want to make the best of the time we have." Kimberly told him. "We've shipped our luggage, and we've arranged for the car to pick us up from Rainbow's End."

"The amusement park?" Spike yelled, bouncing excitedly. Skull just nodded.

"We figured you'd like that." Skull said with a smile. "We need to head to the airport at five, and we can drop you at Cody's place for training on the way."

"That sounds great!" Spike yelled. "I'll just go and get washed up!"

As he ran into the house, almost bumping into his uncle on the way, Bulk came up to them, with his cell phone in his hand.

"So...?"

"I made the calls." Bulk interrupted Kim with a grin. "You're really determined to go through with this aren't you?"

"There's nothing wrong with giving things a little shove in the right direction." Skull told him. "Besides, when was the last time we went to an amusement park together?"

"Too long ago." Bulk agreed, taking them inside.

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers and Serena were all in the yard training, while Mia was yet again reading to pass the time until she could work on the stuff she could do to keep her conditioning up while she healed. Jayden and Antonio were sparring when Ji came out of the house, handing Mia another book.

"Here, I believe this is the one you wanted from my collection." Ji told her. "Antonio! Can I have a word?"

"Uh...sure." Antonio said, stopping what he was doing and coming over. Jayden just sighed and rested on his bokken, waiting for him to come back. Seeing Ji in civilian clothing, he knew he was going to see Brenda again. "What can I help you with?"

"Brenda's been reading a lot about pre-natal nutrition and she's heard that oily fish is very good for the baby." He told him. "I want to help where I can, and make sure it's as good quality as possible. Do you have anything in your recent catch?"

"Sure, I got a whole bunch yesterday." Antonio told him. "I have it in the freezer; would you like to take a look?"

"That would be appreciated." Ji told him with a smile as they went to the house. Jayden just rolled his eyes and went to the bench, sitting down with Mia.

"Mia, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the woman that does all the work at this stage right?" He asked her sarcastically. He saw her put down the book and give him a glare. He realised his mistake. While she had kept it private early on, the Rangers now knew about her past. They knew about Evan. "I'm sorry, that was insensitive."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it." She said in response. She saw the way Jayden was looking to the house. "Jayden, is everything alright?"

"It's just...what's with all this stuff?" He asked her. "I mean fish? Has she never heard of a supermarket?"

"Jayden, Ji just wants to help." Mia told him. "It's like you said, she's carrying the baby. There isn't much he can do to help with that, so he's helping where he can. If you ask me, I think it's kind of sweet."

"What about his duties here?" Jayden asked her. "She had that doctor's appointment yesterday, but that should only have taken about an hour, two at the most. He was with her all day!"

"It's only natural he's excited." Mia answered. "I know what happened with me. Mom and dad were great through it all, but I can't help thinking at times, if Aaron was there for me, if I wasn't going through all that bad stuff, what people were saying about me, how I felt about what happened...maybe things might have turned out differently. I think its great Ji wants to be so involved."

"I get that he wants to be involved, but don't you think this is all a bit much?" Jayden asked her. "He's practically not been here for weeks..."

"He's not neglected anything important." Mia reminded him. "When Terry left the battle to take that heart to the hospital, he was there in seconds! The other stuff, we've all taken our fair share. Serena was always on the scanner anyway, so that's not a problem. The chores? It's not like any of us has too much extra to do. What is he neglecting that matters?"

Jayden just clenched his jaw as she said this. Mia just backed up a little as she saw his reaction.

"That's it isn't it?" She asked him. "Jayden, when I said that..."

"No, you're right." Jayden snorted. "That's pretty much exactly what's going on. What's he neglecting that matters?"

"Jayden...?"

"I mean, he has a REAL kid coming now, not just some kid that got dumped on him when his best friend died." Jayden said a little bitterly. He saw Mia's eyes were wide, and she looked more than a little pale. He turned to see Ji and Antonio standing behind him. Ji was holding a large parcel, wrapped in clean paper. Antonio's face indicated the same panic as Mia's. Ji was just standing there, holding the package. He stood, looking at Jayden wordlessly for a moment.

"I should get these to Brenda before they defrost." He said quietly, turning and heading for his bike. Mia got up and tried to go after him, but he pulled out of the yard before she could say anything. By now, no one was training. They were all standing, looking at the scene unfolding. They all turned to look at Jayden, who just got to his feet.

"Is there a problem?" He asked them.

"I'd say there is." Mia said with a small nod. Jayden just threw down his bokken, looking around them coldly.

"I thought you were all meant to be training?" He stated.

"Jayden..."

"Am I or am I NOT wearing Red?" He growled at Mike. "Last time I checked, I was the Shogun!"

"Yes sir." Mike said sarcastically with a little salute as he and the others went back to training. "That means you too Antonio!"

Antonio reluctantly went back to the training yard as Jayden started to head for the house. Mia though was benched, and as such didn't have any obligation to train. She ran after him into the house, finding Jayden starting to get changed into street clothing.

"Jayden..."

"Don't start with me Mia!" He warned her. She just shook her head and looked at him in disgust, holding her hands up in defeat.

"You want to go and sulk, fine." She stated. "When you want to stop throwing your toys out the pram and talk, you know where we are."

With that, she just headed back outside. Jayden finished getting changed and made his way out the back door, slamming it in a fit of temper as he went.

In the yard, Serena and Terry were separated from the others, going through their punishment. Thankfully, they only had another couple of days to go before it would be over, as long as Emily didn't tattle on them for playing hookie. As they both dropped down from the chin-up bars after finishing their set at the same time, another draw, Terry started to shake out his arms.

"I'm convinced my arms are longer now than at the start of the week." He told her. She just laughed and shook her head.

"Look, about yesterday." She started to say. Just then, he held up a hand to halt her and checked the others weren't looking. She heard a very quiet ring-tone sounding from a bag a little way off, and realised that Terry had heard it too. Serena just looked to him, but he shook his head, before going to the bag and pulling out a cell phone. He saw her looking at him, and realised this wouldn't do her impression of him much good.

"I know, but could you not bust me?" He asked her. He checked the caller ID, and his brows knitted. He looked to her. "I seriously need to take this, could you cover for me?"

Serena just watched as he ran behind the equipment shed. She looked to the others.

"The mats out here are full." She called to Kevin, knowing that any time Jayden and Ji weren't in the house, he was the default leader. "We're going to spar in the dojo."

"Alright." Kevin answered with a nod, before going back to his match with Emily and Mike. Serena made her way around to the back of the house to let Terry know what she said, but also to see what was so important about this phone call that would make him risk further punishment. None of them were meant to have cell phones during training.

She stopped just short, listening in slightly, hardly a hard task since Terry wasn't talking particularly quietly. In fact, he seemed to be a little agitated.

"I told you not to call." He told the person on the other end. "What do you mean...? Michaela, what are you...?"

The person on the other end seemed to be upset with him for some reason; she could hear some garbled sounds from a few feet away. She also surmised that it was a female someone, she had heard the name Michaela. He took a deep breath.

"I'm away for a few weeks...the hospital? Who...? I'm going to kill...Look, I'm sorry but..." He paused and pulled the phone away from his ear as the voice on the other end got louder. Serena could even make out a couple of words, none of which were complimentary. "Look, alright...I'll meet you at the amusement park. I'll be there in half an hour."

This seemed to appease the person on the other end. As he hung up, he shook his head in defeat. It was then that he looked up, seeing Serena with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.

"That's what I'm covering for?" She asked him.

"Serena, you don't..."

"You know about the no-contact rule. Do you know how long it's been since any of us have talked to our parents?" She chastised him. "And you want me to cover for you getting phone calls to set up booty calls with your girlfriend Michaela?"

"Look, I'd love to explain, but clearly you wouldn't believe me anyway." He told her. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

Before she could say anything, he ran and vaulted over the rear wall. She paused for a moment, before a thought hit her. If the others found out he had skipped out on training, and she hadn't told them, then she would likely share whatever punishment he would receive.

"Oh, I am so not doing another week of this shit so you can see your girlfriend!" Serena stated as she vaulted the wall, running after him with every intention of dragging his sorry ass back to the Shiba House before anyone found out.


	12. Terry's Booty Call

At Brenda's apartment, she was trying to read a book, trying to prepare herself for what was to come. She was still relatively early in her pregnancy, just short of two months, but she had already experienced some of the joys of morning sickness, and was trying to be ready for what was to come. She looked to the book, having to adjust her glasses in shock as she looked at the page concerning her stage of the pregnancy. She looked to the picture, trying to imagine it not as just a coloured diagram on a page, but as the life currently growing inside her.

She held her thumb and forefinger apart a little way, trying to imagine it. She moved them apart and together a few times, until she got a distance she was happy with. She held it up towards Ji.

"Ji, does that look like three centimetres to you?" She asked him. He looked over to her wordlessly from the kitchen, where he was busy preparing her a milkshake. He came across, taking her fingers, and parting them a small fraction further.

"That's about three centimetres." He told her. She just looked at it in awe.

"That...that's the size the baby is right now." She told him. Ji just gave her a small smile, before heading back to the kitchen. Brenda furrowed her brows and threw down the book. "Ji, this is our baby, this is how big he or she is. Aren't you excited?"

He just sighed and nodded. He looked to her apologetically.

"I'm sorry." He told her. "I know I can't be especially good company right now."

"Ji, what's wrong?" She asked him. "Don't say it's nothing, because I know you too well for that."

"It's just...it's just something Jayden said before." He told her. He didn't really want to talk about this with her, but it affected him badly.

"What is it?" Brenda asked him. "Did he say something about Xandred? What did he...?"

"It's nothing like that." Ji assured her. "I overheard something I'm sure I was not intended to."

"What is it?" She asked him, gesturing him to sit on the couch with her. He came across, sitting down gently. "Ji, what did he say?"

"I've noticed he's been quiet lately, but I was so busy with this I didn't think too much about it." He told her. "The thing is, he was talking to Mia, and he kind of...snapped a bit. He snapped about...well...you."

"Me?" Brenda asked him.

"More accurately, the baby." He told her. Brenda just sighed and started to stroke the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to tell you but..."

"Ji, he's 23, he's not four." She sighed. "He resents the baby? Seriously?"

"You have to admit that ours is somewhat far from a typical family." He reminded her. "Jayden lost his mother when he was an infant. He lost his father to the war when he was only six."

"I get that Ji, believe me I do." She told him. "I'm sympathetic, but this is our child."

"You have to understand, while he has friends now, for many years it was only me and him." Ji continued sadly. "He didn't know I was there when he said it, but from what he said, it sounds like...it sounds like he just wants to know what his place in the family will be."

Brenda just looked to him, a little puzzled, taking his hand.

"Ji, he's been your son for most of his life, I would never try to take that away from him." She told him. Ji just nodded.

"I know that, and for that I am grateful." He said quietly. "However, something he said hurt. It made me question the way I've been treating him."

"What did he say to you?" Brenda asked him, taking his hand. "Please, I just really want to know."

"He referred to our child as my 'real' child." He told her. "He said that he was just dumped on me when his father died."

"Ji..."

"Do you really think that's what he thinks?" Ji asked her. "Is that how I've treated him?"

"Ji, I've seen more families than I care to count." She assured him. "When I saw you and Jayden, I've never seen anyone that I felt were closer than you and Jayden."

"I have been spending a lot of time with you though." Ji admitted.

"He just feels a little left out." She told him. "Jayden may not be your blood, but he is your son. I've never doubted that, and even though it was a little strange at times, I would never even try to do anything to change that."

"It was weird for you?" He asked her. She just chuckled.

"Do remember that I am only in my thirties." She reminded him. "I'm not that much older than him. I suppose seeing me as a step-mother would be a bit of a challenge for him, just like it would be for me to see him as a son."

"Like I said, we are far from a typical family." Ji laughed as he nodded in agreement. "Brenda, I need to talk to him, but before I do. We need to clarify something..."

"I won't expect him to call me mom." She assured him. "I know that's not what you meant, but the point stands. I know he'll be a part of our lives, and he'll be a part of the baby's life. I'm never going to try and change that. He'll always have a place in our family."

Ji just kissed her softly, smiling broadly.

"You have no idea how wonderful you are." He told her. "Now, all I have to do is find a way to make Jayden believe that."

"You will." Brenda assured him. "He loves you."

"And I love him." He told her. "That's why this hurts so much."

"You'll figure it out." Brenda replied. "I know you will."

Over at Rainbow's End, Skull, Kim, Bulk and Spike arrived, getting ready for their day of fun. Spike hated the fact that they would only have this day together before they would be going home, but he couldn't contain his excitement at being able to spend this time with them.

"Hey Spike!" Cody called out. Spike's head snapped around as Cody, Vicky, Melanie and Mal came running over to him. He just looked a little confused.

"Guys?" He asked. "What are you...?"

"Your uncle called us, your mom and dad got us all day tickets!" Vicky squealed excitedly, bouncing on the spot, hopping over and hugging him. Spike returned the gesture, but looked to his mom and dad, who just had knowing smirks on their faces. "They said we can spend the day here together!"

"As long as this place has been here, I've never been on a roller coaster!" Cody told him. "Dad never gave me the money!"

"You're in for a real treat." Mal chuckled. "But let me show you the joy of corn dogs first."

As they all ran off, heading for the ticket booth, Spike hung back with his mother. Kimberly just looked to him as he turned around.

"You're so obvious mom." He grumbled. She just smiled.

"And you think you're not?" She asked in response. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Mom, please..."

"What? What am I doing?" She asked, feigning innocence. "I'm just a mom giving her kid and his friends a nice day out at an amusement park."

As she walked off, Spike just chuckled and shook his head.

"You really suck sometimes, do you know that?" He said as he ran after her.

As they left though, there was a girl standing by the entrance, looking around intently, like she was waiting for someone. She was wearing white jeans, and a pink halter-top, with a white ribbon holding her hair back. She had bright red lipstick, and dark eyeshadow. In one hand, she was holding a bunch of roses, and in the other, a large, pink teddy bear.

As she turned this way and that, checking her watch constantly, Terry arrived, stopping a little way from her. She watched as he hunched over to catch his breath, having run all the way from the Shiba House. She ran across, leaping at him and wrapping her arms around him, almost knocking him over.

Serena arrived not long after him, stopping a little distance away. She saw a girl with her arms wrapped around Terry, and sneered in disgust. All of them had given up a lot for their duties. Contact with their families, friendships...Kevin had all but given up his life-long dream, and here he was, unwilling to give up time with his girlfriend for a few weeks?

She looked to the girl, and she rolled her eyes. She seemed just his type. The pink top was so appropriate for him, but more than that, she seemed to completely throw herself at him at his whim. She was skinny, she was young, she wasn't even that pretty...

"Wait, why the hell do I care what she looks like?" Serena asked herself. She started to make her way towards them, in time to see her part from him, looking Terry up and down.

"Terry, why are you wearing pyjamas?" Michaela asked him. Serena stopped and rolled her eyes again. Yup, she imagined Michaela was exactly Terry's type. Ignorant enough not to know the difference between pyjamas and a gi. He had run out of the Shiba House without a chance to change. He just shuffled his feet.

"Michaela..."

"I knew you hadn't left!" She rushed out, holding out the bear. "Here, look what I got you! I won it this morning..."

"Michaela, I told you not to call me." He reminded her. "I told you more than once..."

"I know, we fell out, but that's alright, all couples fall out!" She assured him. She smiled broadly. "I heard you'd left town, but when Sandra called and said she'd seen you at the hospital yesterday with another girl..."

"Michaela, I told you not to call." He told her. Michaela's face noticeably tensed up, now looking a little dismayed.

"That girl you were with, you're...you're seeing someone else aren't you?" Michaela asked him. "You're cheating..."

"I'm not seeing someone else Michaela!" He groaned. "Even if I was, it wouldn't be cheating. We broke up!"

"But..."

"That night in the Red Lobster remember?" He asked her. "I told you it was finished!"

"We had a fight!" She answered. "All couples..."

"You accused me of staring at the waitress." He reminded her. "Then you stabbed me with a lobster fork and dumped a serving platter on my head!"

"Terry, I was upset, all couples fight..."

"That was four months ago Michaela!" He reminded her. "I told you not to call me! Hell, I changed my cell phone three times; I still don't know how you got my number!"

"Terry, it's..."

"It's over." He told her flatly. "Please Michaela, I didn't want to hurt you, but this doesn't work. Surely you have to see that."

Just then, Michaela seemed to burst into tears. Terry seemed to be feeling guilty, but as he stroked her shoulder, Michaela looked up and saw Serena a little way off. She saw that she too was dressed in a gi, one that with the exception of the yellow trim seemed remarkably similar to Terry's. She looked up to Terry with a look of rage on her face and shoved him away, looking between them.

"That's it isn't it?" Michaela demanded angrily, looking between them. "You've been...with...with HER!"

Terry turned, only then noticing Serena. He saw where Michaela's thoughts were going and turned back to her.

"Michaela..."

"How long's it been going on Terry?" She screamed at him. "How long have you been cheating on me with...that?"

"Uh..."

"Like he said, it isn't cheating." Serena replied, coming across and putting an arm around Terry. He stood, stunned for a second, before returning the gesture. "You two broke up."

"We did NOT break up, we had a fight!" Michaela screamed.

"We broke up Michaela; I said it at the time. I specifically told you it was over!" Terry reminded her. "Look, I'm sorry..."

With a hellish scream, Michaela ripped the head off the teddy and threw it on the ground, spilling the stuffing everywhere. Terry and Serena just watched in horror as she then started to tear up the roses, with no care for the thorns at all, and left them in pieces on the ground, before turning and storming off, the occasional drop of blood dripping from her hands, indicating she had indeed forgotten all about the thorns.

Terry just sighed and turned to Serena. She wrapped her arms around his neck, while he did the same with her waist, just to keep up the pretence until they were sure Michaela was gone.

"Look..."

"You looked like you could use a save." She told him. He just sighed.

"I used to date her." Terry told her.

"I kind of got that part." She responded.

"There's um...there's a little thing...I'm kind of into girls who are a little...different." He tried to explain.

"No shit." She chuckled, looking to the scene of destruction on the ground that used to be gifts for Terry.

"Alright, I'll say it. I have a habit for ending up with crazy chicks." He told her. "I'm not kidding, I've dated everything from the slightly cooky to the completely batshit. If you put me in a room full of kindergarten teachers, I'd find and ask out the one that moonlights as a serial killer every time."

"Well, seeing your last date, I can kind of believe that." Serena giggled, looking to him. They paused for a moment, just looking at each other, before she just gave him a little smile. After a moment though, she realised where they were, and released his neck, putting her hands on his chest. "I think she's gone now."

"Yeah, she's..."

"You can let go any time." Serena clarified. Terry let go, allowing her away from him.

"Um...alright." Terry sighed. He just tensed up and closed his eyes. "Just...make it quick."

"Make what quick?" She asked him.

"Whatever this will cost me, just...make it quick." He told her. Serena just stepped closer to him and tapped him softly on the cheek, causing him to open his eyes and look to her.

"This one's on the house." She told him. "Come on, maybe we can get back before anyone notices we're gone."

With that, she turned away, heading for the house, followed by Terry. As they made their way back, she couldn't help smiling.


	13. Starting a New Campaign

**AN: **OK, first of all, I'll begin by apologising for the hiatus; things have been pretty hectic around here lately. While I'm at it, I'll also give you all a heads up that there will be a short "season break" in my stories in August, while I head out of town to attend a certain convention.

Finally, I wanted to make a small comment about some anonymous reviews I got recently. Some time ago, I actually disabled anonymous reviews, but recent site maintenance to update the reviews system has since rendered that option useless. The reason I disabled anonymous reviews was so that I can answer people directly (many of the people who regularly review my works will be able to confirm I generally respond to reviews). However, this means now I have to respond to some recent reviews on a public forum instead, so I'm going to be as diplomatic as possible.

To those who insist on more "More Jaytonio, no more Brenda and the baby", all I'll say is that I make a point of giving all my characters an airing, and share of the limelight. Jaytonio will get attention; you don't have to worry about that. HOWEVER, simply stating that you hate/dislike a character and insisting "no more" of them...sorry, that's not going to happen. Brenda is in the story for the long haul (there will be no convenient miscarriage in the next couple of chapters just so I can remove her from the story, and a baby DOES kind of tie her to Ji for a good while at least!)

While I appreciate everyone has their own likes and dislikes, that will not shape how I write. I responded the same way to flames DEMANDING that I stop writing Jaytonio. I really hope you can accept this as just part of a story you don't like and continue to enjoy the rest of it, if it really is unacceptable to you, I regret that, and hope you find other stories that are more to your taste.

Terry and Serena were taking their time getting back to the Shiba House, having resigned themselves to the fact that they were never going to get back before they were missed. Serena was having a great time teasing Terry about his volatile love life. On the way back, he was beginning to relay to her some of his classic stories, and she was beginning to get the impression he wasn't joking about always finding the crazy ones.

"Seriously, I found her pounding on the van with a sledgehammer!" He concluded the latest tale with a laugh. "When I tried to grab it off her, I could barely even hold it! It had to be a sixteen pounder!"

"God Terry, you really can pick them." Serena sniggered. "I think you should maybe start asking if it's just them that has a problem. How can any one person constantly end up picking out every psycho available?"

"I think maybe you're right." Terry answered as they headed towards the gates. Kevin, Mia and Emily were waiting for them. Kevin didn't look particularly amused, but Emily and Mia seemed to be there to watch the show.

"Someone's in trouble!" Emily teased in a little sing-song voice. Terry just sighed and shook his head, looking to Serena.

"What do you think this is going to cost us?" He asked her. "My money's on two days."

"Three!" Kevin stated. "Now Serena, I know you have your training session with Bulk, Spike and Cody to get to, so you can both start tomorrow."

"I'll just go and get changed." She told them with a groan, heading into the house. Although she was looking forward to getting back to training her students, but after almost her full week on punishment detail, she was pretty much exhausted all the time. She'd just had another three days tacked onto the 'sentence', meaning that she still had another four days to go. As she thought about it though, it didn't seem too bad. At least she wasn't suffering alone.

"Jayden's still not back yet." Kevin told them. "Terry, we need someone at home in case he comes back. If we go out to look for him, can I trust you not to run off AGAIN?"

"Again?" Terry asked innocently. Seeing Emily shy away, Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Emily!" She complained.

"You know I can't lie!" Emily whined, hiding behind Mia.

"Snitch." Serena stated, before heading inside. "We'll discuss this later."

"As for you, I was hoping Serena would be a good influence on you, not the other way around." Mia said, shoving her brother playfully. "Come on guys, let's go look for Jayden."

As they left, Terry headed inside, pulling off his jacket as he went. He got to the kitchen, throwing it into the laundry basket, before pulling off his trousers and doing the same. He regretted the fact that Serena had to share in his punishment, but at least she didn't seem to be any angrier at him. Indeed, he couldn't believe she hadn't said anything to him.

As he poured himself a glass of water, taking a sip, he didn't notice Serena coming in. She had gotten changed, ready to go to Kieran's place. As she got to the kitchen though, she recoiled, seeing Terry standing in the kitchen in his boxers.

"Terry!" She shrieked shielding her eyes. "What the hell?"

"Uh...uh..." He started to stammer, suddenly aware of the fact he was standing in his boxers. He grabbed a towel and held it around him. "Um...I just..."

"Most people get dressed in their room BEFORE putting their uniforms in the laundry!" She complained. Terry had to concede the point. With everyone else gone, he had pretty much just let it slip his mind that Serena was still there. He just nodded in agreement.

"I'll just...um...I'm going to my room." He told her, before heading out the kitchen. Serena just took a moment to compose herself. She was certain he had just forgotten she was still there, and given the way he was acting, she had to think it was just as embarrassing for him as it was for her.

She paused as she got to the door, finding a pad and a pen by the phone. Although the Rangers didn't get too many messages, with so many of them in the house, it wasn't certain when any two of them would get together, so they left a pad by the phone to take down messages just so they wouldn't be forgotten in all the confusion. Serena just picked up the pen and started to write a note.

"Terry, you don't need to worry, I don't blame you for the extra time. I suppose I should really learn to let you do your own bone-headed things. The point is, I won't be taking it out on you. I'll see you tomorrow for punishment."

She then paused and smiled as she thought about something.

"P.S. Nice boxers." She wrote, before heading out the house. Heading onto the long road to Kieran's house, she got a little smile on her face.

"Love hearts?" She chuckled. "Only you Sugarplum."

In the forest, a good way from the Shiba House, Antonio was busy looking for Jayden. While the others were searching the city, Antonio knew him on a level that they didn't. He understood the way he thought a lot more than they did. That was why when he was feeling vulnerable, when he was feeling alone, isolated by his anger and resentment, Antonio knew that he wasn't the kind of guy to go trawling bars. He would want to go somewhere he could be alone.

Some of Jayden's happiest times were sitting with Antonio by a riverbank, fishing, getting away from the stresses and strains of the responsibility he had thrust upon him through virtue of simply being born. After checking the streams and rivers, Antonio had turned his attention instead to the trails through the woods that they would sometimes walk along together, just to talk away from the house, where pretty much the walls were made of ears.

He eventually got to a large oak, which spread upwards taller than many houses, and extended outwards almost twenty feet, dominating this part of the forest. It was clearly ancient, giving Antonio cause to imagine it in terms of the ancestors, imagining that this tree was probably only a sapling when the Samurai first settled in the United States. It was with that thought, that he looked up, seeing Jayden sitting, resting in the crook of a large branch, quite a way up off the ground.

"You're a hard man to find when you want to be." Antonio stated, coming up to the bottom of the tree, looking up with a smile.

"Not hard enough." Jayden told him. "Could you just...?"

"Sorry, but it doesn't work that way." Antonio told him. He ran and jumped, up, grabbing onto a low branch, before pulling himself up. He hauled himself up a few more branches, ending up on the one Jayden was sitting on. He lowered himself onto it, taking a seat near him. "You know, I would have thought this would be more Mike's kind of thing."

"You really don't remember do you?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just shook his head. Jayden pointed to a branch a little way off, with some words carved into it. He strained to see, smiling as he saw the name.

"Fort Shiba." He said with a little grin, looking to Jayden. "We used to play here as kids."

"It seemed a lot bigger then." Jayden stated.

"Well, it still seems pretty big now." Antonio said, looking down. He let out a little sigh. "Jayden, you had us all pretty worried the way you ran out on us."

"I really didn't feel like hanging around for the lectures." Jayden said a little sourly.

"Jayden, you know you have to talk about this eventually." Antonio pressed on. "I mean, Ji didn't look too happy about what he overheard you say."

"No, he didn't." Jayden agreed. "I know I'll probably hear all about this sooner or later. I just don't want to face it now."

"Jayden, I know this has to be pretty strange." Antonio stated as he settled into the branches. "I mean, you do have a pretty unique situation here."

"Well, that's one way of putting it." Jayden grumbled. "I already know that you all think I'm throwing a hissy fit over this. Mia made that pretty clear."

"Last time I checked, Mia didn't speak for all of us." Antonio reminded him. "Look, I'll admit that you didn't exactly paint yourself in the best light back there, but this has to be pretty weird for you too."

"I was just getting used to Brenda and Ji." Jayden admitted. "I mean, I'm happy he's found someone, but it wasn't always easy. The age difference...there's less of a difference between us than there is between her and Ji."

"Hey, you think that's bad, Freud was older than his step-mother by twenty years." Antonio chuckled. Jayden just looked at him. Antonio had something of a thing for pointless trivia. He just shrugged. "It's true! Check Wikipedia."

"I guess that brings new light to his Oedipus theory." Jayden said, eliciting a small laugh from them both. He just looked to Antonio. "I guess I was getting used to them being together. I wasn't always alright with it, but I was starting to get used to the fact I wasn't the only one in his life."

"Now you feel like you're sharing him with someone else." Antonio asked him. Jayden just nodded his head.

"It kind of feels like I'm being replaced." Jayden admitted. "I know he's excited. I remember the way I felt when Alexandria was first delivered to us."

He looked to Antonio, who forced a smile. It wasn't an easy time for them when Jayden believed he had a daughter. He saw the expression on his boyfriend's face, and just sighed.

"It's a feeling that I can't explain. When the connection was blood, when she was MY blood...It was like something I've never felt before. I still miss her, even though I now know what she really was."

"Now you're worried..."

"I'm worried that when this baby comes, that I'll be an afterthought." Jayden concluded. "I mean, the baby's going to be his. How can he possibly feel the same way about me?"

"I sincerely doubt you'll ever be an afterthought." Antonio said as he slid around next to him. He put an arm around Jayden, pulling him in closely. He just smiled. "I can't say what Ji will have to say about this, but you know that you will always have a family."

Jayden just looked to Antonio gratefully, pulling in and kissing him softly. As they held each other, they didn't notice Ji arriving. When he had left Brenda's place to go looking for him, like Antonio, he had started thinking of places that meant something to Jayden. He remembered when they were kids; occasionally Jayden would be talked into slipping out of the yard with Antonio. Whenever that happened, he could usually find them here.

Seeing the moment between them though, he opted to leave it until Jayden came home. Although what Jayden had said about the baby had hurt, he knew that Jayden had to be upset too. He just turned and quietly left, feeling that he would be best served letting Antonio comfort him for now. Perhaps a little time to reflect would allow them to face this with cooler heads, and prevent any further hurt.

Later in the night, Serena came back to the Shiba House, dumping her bag next to the door. If she was tired before, she certainly was now. Given their break, Cody, Bulk and Spike were really keen to get into it, and seemed to have limitless energy. She didn't want to disappoint them, and so she had no option but to give them the workout they were looking for.

She checked the pad next to the phone, finding a note from the others. Antonio had called to tell them he had found Jayden, and that he was safe. The others had chosen to eat out in the city. That meant she was on her own.

Heading into the Living Room, finding the lights out, she flopped down onto the couch. She looked up as the lights came on, and Terry spun around in the computer chair, facing her. He had his fingers arched before him, and a wicked smile on his face.

"Tired?" He asked her.

"What do you think?" She grumbled. "Still, I only have myself to blame."

"Well, we do have our own choices to make." Terry told her. "And choices have...consequences."

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked him. He just smirked.

"Well, three days is kind of harsh for playing hookie." He told her. She just sighed.

"Yeah, but with Kevin in charge..."

"Besides, I seem to remember someone else who made choices that deserve...consequences." He said, doing his best impression of a bad Bond villain. He leaned forward in his seat.

"You mean Emily?" Serena asked him.

"She did tattle." He reminded her. "So, what do you say? Are you in?"

Serena just smiled and took his hand, shaking it.

"So, what do you have in mind?" She asked him.


	14. Family Preparations

Jayden and Antonio got back to the Shiba House late. Way later than they would have intended, and darkness had long-since fallen over the city. It wouldn't have been so bad if they had been in the city, since the street-lights and shop displays would have provided light for their journey, but in the woods, and on the trails leading back to the Shiba House, there was very little light. Antonio had called forth the Lantern Zord to light their way.

Antonio had one arm around Jayden, while the other held the Lantern Zord before them as they headed along the trail back to the house. It had taken a while to settle him down enough to bring him back home. As they came towards the gates, they found them lying open, something which was unusual for this time of night. It wasn't really a security thing, they were far enough out of town that most people didn't know where the place was, or that it existed, so they didn't really have much to worry about from opportunist thieves, and with the new, stronger Security Symbols, they didn't have to worry about Nighlock. Although generally they closed the gate once everyone was back for the night.

Since the gate was open, Antonio could see that a light was on in the Living Room, and sighed. The others were probably in their beds by now, so he guessed that the only person likely to be awake would be Ji, since Jayden had not yet returned. He looked to Jayden and held his hand softly.

"It's alright Antonio." Jayden assured him before the Gold Ranger could say anything. "I'll be fine."

"I can always stick around." He offered. Jayden shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think this is one of those times I need to face the consequences of my actions alone." He told him. He kissed him softly, before they headed into the house. Sure enough, as they entered the hall, they found Ji waiting for them. Antonio just looked to Jayden, who just nodded his head to confirm that he was sure he wanted to talk to Ji alone.

Antonio left reluctantly, after giving Ji a little look, wordlessly begging him to go easy on Jayden. As Antonio headed past to his room, Ji gestured Jayden towards the Living Room. Jayden went through, taking a seat on the couch. He found that Ji had a couple of glasses waiting on the table, and a bottle of Sake. He started to pour as he sat down, sliding one across to Jayden.

"Ji, I'm really sorry." Jayden told him.

"Are you sorry for what you said, or the fact that I heard it?" Ji asked him. Jayden didn't answer. He didn't want to answer, but there was some truth in what Ji had said. He still felt like he was being pushed out to make room for the baby. He didn't like the fact that Ji had found out by overhearing him speaking with Mia. He hadn't wanted Ji to hear him say those things, certainly not without thinking about what he had to say. Ji took a sip and leant forwards.

"Look, I know you're excited about the baby." Jayden told him. "I remember what it was like with Alexandria..."

"Then you should know that there is a lot on my mind right now." Jayden just sighed and shook his head.

"Well, she was kind of a ready-made deal." Jayden conceded. "I didn't have a whole pregnancy to go through."

"Jayden, I'm excited about the baby, and I will admit that I've not been around here as much as I usually would be." Ji continued. "I have a lot to think about, and a lot of demands on my time..."

"Ji, I get all that." Jayden interrupted him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Jayden, I have never encouraged you not to tell me the truth about your feelings?" Ji reminded him regretfully. "I know I haven't spent as much time around here as I usually do, but I never thought...you believe I'm neglecting you?"

"I know you have a lot to deal with helping Brenda." Jayden told him. "I guess I just felt left out. The way you spend all your time with her recently, and any time you are here, you spend all your time talking about the baby. I guess I was just worried about what will happen when the baby comes."

"You were wondering what your place in the family will be." He sighed. "Jayden, you are my son, that's never going to change."

"But...the baby's going to be your child." Jayden stated.

"And you are my son, just as surely as if you had been born of my blood." Ji assured him. "I know that ours is hardly a typical family, but I want you to be certain of this much. You will always have a place in it as my son."

"So, would that make me the baby's...brother?" Jayden asked him. Ji just smiled.

"I suppose in a way, it would." Ji answered with a little smile. "Although that depends on how you feel. Given the age gap, I suppose you may feel more comfortable thinking of yourself as an uncle."

"No, I think it would be kind of cool to be its brother." Jayden told him. "It'll be pretty different being a big brother. Um...there is just one thing."

"Yes?" Ji asked.

"I don't have to start calling Brenda 'mom' now do I?" Jayden asked him. "A twenty three year gap between me and my little brother or sister I can handle, but even I have my limits."

Ji just laughed and shook his head, remembering that Brenda had said something quite similar. He had to admit that it was an unusual situation.

"I guess we'll all be getting used to something new." Ji told him. "Jayden, I would like you to be more involved in the preparations for the baby coming."

"Well, I can put up a flat-pack crib no problem." Jayden told him. "I guess I could..."

"Jayden, you have to know that this all scares me." Ji continued, interrupting him. "It isn't just the pregnancy. It isn't raising the baby..."

"Well, I think you did a good job with me." Jayden told him.

"Thank you." Ji stated. "But there is something else. There is a reason I am spending so much time preparing for the child. I am worried..."

"Is it alright?" Jayden asked. "Is Brenda...?"

"Both are fine." Ji interrupted him. "It's me I'm worried about."

"You?" Jayden asked him. "Ji, you're a great dad. You did a fantastic job, I couldn't have asked for anyone better."

"Jayden, I am pleased to hear that, but I am also realistic. Time is not on my side." He told him. "Jayden, the child will be born next year. By the time it is ten years old, I will be in my sixties. There will be certain things I will not be able to do with the child."

"Ji..."

"Playing with the child will become harder, and training...there will come a time when I will not be able to do so effectively." He answered. "There will come a time when I need help..."

"I'll be there." Jayden assured him. "I'm the big brother/uncle after all right?"

"It also worries me that there may be a time..." Ji's words tailed off. Jayden knew what he was thinking, and he just moved across, comforting Ji. While he was healthy, and took good care of himself, nothing was certain. More than most, it clearly affected him to think that it was possible he would not always be around for his child as it grew up.

"I promise, whatever happens, the baby will be looked after." Jayden stated. "And I can assure you, it's not just me. I'm sure I can speak for all of us, when I say this. As long as at least one of us is still around, that child will always have a home."

"You don't know what that means to me." Ji answered, hugging his son tightly.

The following morning, over at Bulk's place, Spike came down the stairs, yawning loudly. Bulk was in the kitchen, reading a newspaper while he waited for his nephew. Normally Spike was the first one up, and went for a run before breakfast, but after the day at the funfair, followed by Serena's training, he was well and truly wiped out. He had actually fallen asleep in the back of his uncle's car, forcing Bulk to carry him inside, something he hadn't had to do since Spike was seven years old.

He knew that Spike was desperate to spend all the time he could with his parents while they were in town, and the experience had exhausted him. It was hard for the kid being so far away from his parents. It was a sad fact that they had only managed to see him a few days across the last year and a half. They kept in touch, and they all missed each other dreadfully, but it was still not the ideal situation.

"Well, it's good to see you awake at last!" Bulk teased his nephew as he saw him coming in. "I was wondering if I'd be on my own all day."

"Is that bacon I smell?" Spike yawned. Bulk just sniggered and gestured to the pan on the cooker.

"It should only take a minute to re-heat." He told him. Spike got up and headed to the cooker. "Serena looked pretty tired last night too."

"Yeah, she said she had been doing a lot of extra training recently." Spike stated, rubbing his eyes wearily. "She said she should be back to normal soon."

"So, what are your plans for today?" Bulk asked him.

"I'm just going to have a quiet one." Spike told him. "We're all meeting up at Vicky's place for a day of DVD's."

"Vicky's place huh?" Bulk teased him. Spike just sighed.

"Don't you start too." Spike begged him. "It's nothing like that. It's for Melanie."

"Melanie?" Bulk asked him. "Alright, now I'm lost."

Spike took the paper off Bulk and turned it to the front page, pointing to the banner headline. Bulk just read the article, and creased his brows.

"The court case?" Bulk asked him. "Is this...?"

"They're wrapping up." Spike confirmed. "The DA's office is expecting them to sentence her dad today."

"Wow, that...that's got to be tough for her." Bulk conceded. Spike just nodded.

"Mal suggested that she probably shouldn't be on her own, so Vicky suggested we spend an afternoon with some junk food and bad old movies."

"That's probably a good idea." Bulk agreed. "It should help her keep her mind off it."

"That's what we're hoping." Spike answered.

"Yeah, that is a pretty good thing Vicky's doing." Bulk continued. "She's really pretty considerate..."

"Would you quit it?" Spike begged him. "God, you're as bad as mom and dad!"

"Well, I guess you're right." Bulk stated. "You could do so much better."

"What?" Spike snapped.

"I mean she does have that pig-laugh of hers, which gets really irritating." Bulk stated. He then started to do a very exaggerated impression of it. Spike just rounded on his uncle.

"I love her laugh, it's cute!" Spike screamed at him. He just looked at Bulk, who started chuckling. He turned his attention back to the bacon in the pan, and started to lift it onto a roll. "You really suck do you know that?"

"I'm just having fun with you Spike." He assured him. "Eat up. I'll drop you at Vicky's place when you're done."

At the Shiba House, the Rangers were working through morning training. Serena and Terry were off the mats, lying face-to-face, doing push-ups. They were going quickly through their usual drill of five hundred as part of their punishment, but unlike other times, they were actually going in synch. The others were too busy to notice that they were talking.

"Are you sure about this?" Serena asked him.

"The back packs are just by the door." He assured her. "I know Jayden's going to send us on another run."

"So we're getting to go out?" She asked him. Terry just nodded.

"So we'll have a forty five minute window." He reminded her.

"So, we're really going to do this?" Serena asked him. He just smiled.

"They're not going to know what hit them." He assured her. Jayden and Ji appeared in street clothing, causing the others to look round.

"I'm going with Ji." He announced. "Kevin, you're in charge until we get back."

Serena and Terry paused, hearing this new development. They knew what Jayden's playbook was like when it came to punishment drills, but Kevin's was a little less predictable. Jayden pointed to the back packs. "Their packs are there for when they go for their run. I'll trust your judgement."

With that, he and Ji got on his motorcycle and left. Kevin just looked to Serena and Terry, who were getting up.

"Alright, you're done with push-ups are you?" He asked. "Then get your packs and go for a run."

"The cliff again?" Serena asked. He just shook his head.

"The beach." He told them. "You have half an hour. Oh, and you might want to keep something back, because I have some asymmetrics planned for when you get back. Go!"

Serena and Terry heaved the packs full of rocks onto their backs, and started to run. A little way out, Terry turned around, running backwards so he could face Serena.

"Asymmetrics?" Terry asked her.

"You know, holding horse stances, outstretched limbs...stuff like that." Serena explained. "It's a bit of a killer, but my mom always loved it as a punishment. I guess that's something else Emily told Kevin about."

"Well, at least the path to the beach is pretty much on the flat." He reminded her. "Not to mention it gets us closer to where we're going. We should manage our little task in no time."

"They're not going to know what hit them are they?" Serena asked him with a little smirk. He just shook his head, before turning around. "Wait, won't we need...?"

Terry pulled out his wallet, showing it to her. Serena just looked him up and down, seeing he was still in his gi, which had no pockets.

"Where did you...?" She started to ask, before shaking her head. "In second thoughts, I don't think I want to know."

"Well, let's pick up the pace a bit." He suggested. "This little errand will take a little time."

Serena ran a little faster than him, pulling in front of him. Terry just chuckled.

"You're competing again?" He asked her.

"Only if you're up for it Sugarplum." She chuckled. Terry also quickened his pace; turning off as they got to the little detour they would take on their path to the beach.


	15. Jayden's Family

**A/N:** Sorry for the extra-short chapter after a long pause. Family business demanded my attention.

Brenda was in her apartment, taking things easy when Ji and Jayden came back. Although she had all but finished her counselling sessions, and was strictly speaking almost ready to go back to work full-time, she was still getting used to the idea of pregnancy. It was early days for her, only the second month, but she knew that it would only be another few months before she'd be putting in for maternity leave. She heard a gentle knock on the door, and smiled.

"It's open!" She called out. She didn't have too much to worry about in her neighbourhood. She was in a secure apartment block, and with Ji's protective symbols up, she knew she was safe from Nighlock. Ji opened the door, and came in as she got up to greet him. She saw that Jayden was with her.

"Have you eaten?" Ji asked her. She just nodded.

"I'm fine." She assured him. "Jayden?"

"I um...I wanted to see how things were going." Jayden told her. She just nodded in response. She didn't want to make a big deal out of things. Ji had already told her that he had become aware Jayden was having problems dealing with the idea of the pregnancy. She knew it was a big thing having him actually come around, and didn't want to set the whole process back. It would be easier for her if Jayden wasn't in the picture, but she knew how much he meant to Ji. She had already accepted that Jayden was going to be in the picture in some capacity.

"Things are going fine thanks." Brenda told him. There was a little bit of an awkward silence for a moment. Ji then let out a small cough.

"I think I should probably get some things from the store." He said, failing miserably not to be obvious about the fact he wanted them to have time on their own to figure things out between themselves. "I'll be back shortly."

With that, he left them. Brenda could see Jayden looked about as comfortable here as he would sitting in a sauna turned up to full blast. She just gestured to him to sit down.

"So...um...how's the Ranger thing going?" She asked him. The last time they had really spoken for more than a couple of minutes was when she was chastising him for how he handled telling Ji he was no longer going to be a full-time Ranger. It didn't make this situation any easier. "I see you've healed up."

"A few lingering aches now and then, but nothing serious." Jayden answered. "I heard you're dealing with...well..."

"It has its moments." Brenda told him. Jayden saw the TV was on. She had put it on mute when she knew she had company, but it was still running. He saw that it was the news.

"The Goodwill trial." He stated. "I heard that was today. Apparently that Spike kid knows the guy's daughter."

"I suppose this is a rough day for her then." Brenda stated. Again, they found themselves in awkward silence. Eventually, Brenda gestured to the couch, indicating to Jayden to sit down. He did so, sitting with her as she looked at him.

"Look, I know this is odd for both of us, but there's one thing we both have in common." Brenda told him. "We both love Ji."

"I know..."

"Jayden, I haven't chosen any of this. I can't help how I feel." She interrupted him. "The thing is, I love Ji, and what's important to him means a lot to me. I know you're one of the most important things in his life, so to me, that makes you important to me too."

He just looked at her, at which she took his hand gently.

"I really want us to all be in each others' lives." She continued. "I think the baby could really do with a big brother."

"I can't deny that I felt a little left out." Jayden admitted. "Could you do me a favour though?"

"Anything." She answered.

"I don't have to call you mom do I?" He asked. Brenda just laughed.

"I'd really prefer you didn't." She answered. "I feel old enough because of this."

Slowly, reluctantly, Jayden put an arm around her. Brenda pulled him in, completing the hug. It was still somewhat uncomfortable for him, but Ji was so important to him, he was willing to push past his own reservations if Brenda was.

"Um...can I let go now?" Jayden asked her. Brenda just nodded, and released him. "I'm...not quite there yet."

"I didn't think you would be." She answered. "It's a little strange for me too."

As the silence started to creep back in, Brenda turned on the volume on the TV. She was just in time to catch an announcement.

"Repeating our main headline, in a shocking development, Mr. Francis Goodwill has been sentenced to only four years in prison!" The reporter on screen announced. "He entered a plea bargain, turning state's witness against many of his former colleagues in exchange for leniency. We currently have..."

"This isn't justice, this is a joke!" The man standing by the reporter roared in abject fury. He was a mountain of a man, around 6'8" tall, and by the looks of him over 250 lbs. He had a buzz-cut so short, it was difficult to tell what his true hair colour was. He was wearing a dark suit, and a light blue shirt. "He and his crooked friends took everything from us!"

"Mr. Hudson..."

"I served two tours in Afghanistan! I fought for this country!" He yelled into the mike. "I lost friends out there! I nearly lost my own life so many times...I almost left both my legs out there! Then when I get home, I get told I can trust my pension to these guys. I managed to survive serving my country, only to be screwed over by my own people when I get home!"

"Mr..."

He then tore off running as something happened in the background. The reporter was sent sprawling, and several other spectators too. The camera became decidedly wobbly as they tried to follow him. Mr. Hudson surged his way through, and several police officers tried to intercept him as he lunched himself at a man, starting to pummel him with his fists. The cops pulled them apart, struggling to restrain Mr. Hudson.

"You sold us out Goodwill!" He screamed.

"Mr. Hudson please..."

"This man screwed up so many lives with his dirty deals, now he gets off with a crappy four year jail term because he cuts ANOTHER crooked deal?" He screamed. "He probably won't even serve two! He gets to go back to his life after that! What about our lives? People have lost their homes! People have lost their livelihoods!"

"Mr Hudson..."

"Your days are numbered Goodwill!" He barked as the cops dragged him one way, while more dragged the defendant to a prison transport. "Mark my words Goodwill, you'll get yours!"


	16. The Newest Team

At around the 29 minute mark, Serena and Terry stumbled back into the yard, sniggering slightly as they did so, only to find Kevin waiting for them as the others cleared up their training equipment. He looked a little impatient, almost like he was just begging for them to be late. Unfortunately, h was disappointed by a narrow margin.

"Alright you two, come this way." He stated. Serena and Terry followed him, taking their bags with them. He led them to the dojo, were a couple of benches were waiting, with eggs resting along them. There were a couple of stands, and some watermelons waiting nearby. Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Terry, remind me to murder my sister." She groaned.

"Horse stance, thirty minutes." Kevin told them, pointing to the benches. They both adopted the position, feet apart, knees bent, meaning that their bodyweight was held entirely by their thighs. Kevin slid the benches under their butts, so that the eggs were underneath as a tell-tale sign if they failed the stance and sat down. He beckoned them to hold out their arms, at which they did. He slid stands underneath their hands, placing eggs on each, before placing a watermelon on the palm for weight. For good measure, he slid a stand under each of their chins, putting another egg on each, meaning they couldn't even lean forward. It wasn't much of an exertion...for a brief period, but for even a couple of minutes, it was sure to hurt like hell. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

As he left, Serena just sniggered.

"Well, that's a pointless statement." She put down flatly. "It's not like it won't be obvious if we do."

"Just relax." Terry told her. "It's all good."

Serena couldn't move too much, she just swivelled her eyes in his direction, though unable to quite see his face, only pretty much the rest of his body.

"Terry..."

"I know that you have training later." He told her.

"Don't remind me." She groaned.

"I promise I won't do anything until you're here." He assured her. She just smiled.

"I can hardly wait." She assured him with a smile. "It's just a shame we couldn't set this up before we got back."

"Yeah, that is a shame." Terry said with a smirk. "But I promise, the wait will be worth it."

As they stood there, straining to maintain their stance, Serena could only see Terry's legs, arms and a bit of his chest. She again cursed Emily for telling Kevin about her mother's version of discipline. Clearly the sadistic side of her sweet little baby sister's sense of humour had come through there. However, as she tried to focus on something other than the burning sensation as lactic acid started to flood into her muscles, she cast her thoughts to what she could see to distract her, but other than the walls, and banners written in Kanji she had seen a thousand times, all she could see was Terry. She closed her eyes and concentrated on that, but couldn't help her mind continually focussing on the time, only a couple of days earlier, when he had forgotten she was in the house, and she had seen him in his boxers. As he noticed her smiling, he furrowed his brows.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked her.

"Never mind." She replied.

Elsewhere in the house, Mike was with Emily, currently thrashing her mercilessly at Modern Warfare. He generally beat her, but normally she was able to get the occasional kill, even by pure chance. For some reason, her mind just wasn't in it at all. He just sighed and reached for the reset button.

"Maybe we should try this out another time." He suggested. Emily just nodded. "Alright, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I guess it's just all this quiet time." Emily stated. "I just can't help feeling nervous. It's like sitting on a roller-coaster, waiting for it to drop but it just won't."

"I guess it has been a little like that." Mike stated. "I guess even a good old Mooger battle would help ease things up a little. As much as I hate all the fighting, I guess knowing that they're all still out there but not knowing what they're up to is worse than just a good old fashioned throw down."

"It's like when one of your favourite TV shows inexplicably takes a several month season break, leaving the plot hanging." Emily commented.

"Exactly!" Mike agreed. "That always irritates the hell out of me!"

"Almost as much as when they start airing adverts that only say 'coming soon'. That doesn't tell me anything!" Emily stated.

"Yeah, it's like, 'coming soon' next week, 'coming soon' next year! A date would be helpful, 'coming soon isn't!" Mike laughed, shaking his head. He then looked to her, realising that there was still something she wasn't saying. "I guess this is why you had so much fun ratting out Serena and giving Kevin all those punishment ideas."

"Yeah, that was fun." She giggled. "I know I have payback coming, but the idea of seeing her suffering, forced to spend all that time with Terry, that was too good to resist."

"I can't believe you actually want to annoy her." Mike answered. "I still get nightmares about the last time I pissed her off."

"Privileges of being the baby sister." Emily assured him. "No matter how much I annoy her, the retribution is always non-lethal."

"So, if you're done with Modern Warfare, what do you feel like doing?" Mike asked her.

"Maybe just a walk in the park?" She asked him. "Anything to get us out of the house."

"What about waiting to see if Serena and Terry break the eggs?" Mike asked her. Emily just jerked a thumb in the direction of Kevin and Mia's room.

"Kevin promised to tell me if they did and get some pictures." She told him. "Come on, maybe if we get there early enough, we can catch the ice cream guy before the school kids eat it all."

Meanwhile, over at Vicky's place, Melanie was settled into Mal's arms on the couch as the final credits for the first movie rolled. Jimmy went across, ejecting the DVD.

"I swear I could watch Toy Story over and over again!" He declared.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out the way, how about something that isn't a cartoon?" Mal asked. "Hey, I think I saw V for Vendetta somewhere."

"I loved that movie!" Spike stated as he looked it out.

"You loved a movie about some guy blowing up large parts of London?" Vicky asked him. He just shook his head.

"It's more than that, it's about not accepting things at face value. It's about what happens when people stop questioning their government." He explained.

"Wait, you're thinking about being a cop, and you're an anarchist?" Jimmy asked him. Spike just shrugged.

"I'm not an anarchist, it's all fine in an idealistic kind of way, but it doesn't work in reality." Spike explained. "I just think people should have a healthy scepticism about the motives of their government, and watch out for things that are suspect."

"Like what?" Mal asked him.

"What about the Patriot Act?" Spike asked in response. "Under the Patriot Act, people have been imprisoned without access to legal representation, without contact with their family and friends, and without even a trial! There are STILL people in Guantanamo that haven't been released!"

"Wow, are we really talking politics?" Cody asked, searching for the handset.

"I'm serious, it's a direct violation of the most basic constitutional rights, and the worst part is, it was actively WELCOMED by a lot of people on the premise of 'national security'." He continued, ignoring Cody's comment. He just shrugged. "I guess I just wonder about the wisdom of handing back the civil liberties our forefathers fought for."

"Wow, so much politics." Mal stated. "Personally I just liked the fight sequences."

"Well, I think it's interesting to think about stuff like that at times." Vicky interjected. "I mean, just because we're young doesn't mean we can't think about stuff like this. Just think, this is going to be our world some day. So what kind of world do we want to inherit?"

"OK, I'm just going to put the DVD on before the whole day becomes the Skullovitch Manifesto." Jimmy stated. As he put in the DVD and started it playing, Spike sat with Vicky.

"So, you're seriously thinking about the cop thing?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"I suppose I can always ask for some recommendations for my classes next year." He answered. "My dad served on the Junior Police force once, and my mom...well, you know about my mom. I guess I have the background."

"Well, I guess it never hurts to ask." She remarked. Looking across, she saw Mal and Melanie settled into each others' arms, and she shifted a little closer to Spike. Seeing that he hadn't noticed, she put her arm around him, lacing her hand into his. Spike only then noticed, and smiled, returning the gesture.

Back at the Shiba House, Kevin came into the dojo, finding Serena and Terry still maintaining their stance. He could see both were struggling to maintain it, and he was almost a little disappointed that they hadn't broken any eggs. He checked his watch, before sighing.

"Alright, that's enough." He announced, allowing them to remove themselves from their plight. He gathered up the eggs and the water melons, before looking back to them.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today." He told them. "As long as you behave yourselves, you only have one more day of punishments left. Hopefully you've learned something."

"Yeah, I'd say we definitely have." Serena commented, mopping herself down with a sweat towel. "I should have time for a shower before I head to Kieran's place."

"Well, maybe you'll think twice before assaulting your team mates in future." Kevin suggested. "You're both dismissed."

As he left to put the eggs and the watermelons back in the fridge, Serena came to Terry's side.

"So, that thing we were talking about?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"I'll set it up." He assured her. "I'll also make sure I get some footage for you if it happens before you get back."

"Thanks Terry." She replied. "I should be...you know."

"Yeah." Terry answered. "Have fun teaching."

As she left, Terry got a little smile on his face. He went to the backpacks in the corner, and opened it, pulling a little box out of one of them. He just looked to it.

"You asked for this Emily." He stated, taking a little look inside. "Yup, this should do it alright."

After the movie, Spike and Cody checked their time, realising that they needed to head out for Cody's place. They would just about have time to walk there before training was due to start.

"Thanks for this guys." Melanie told them. "I really wasn't looking forward to today. I'm sure the news has been running non-stop all day."

"Hey, it's our pleasure." Vicky assured her, hugging her friend. "I didn't think you'd want to spend today thinking about...you know."

"This is why I don't watch the news." Jimmy commented.

"You don't watch the news because you prefer to rot your brains with cartoons." Vicky teased her brother. She then turned back to Spike. "Have a good time training."

"I'm sure we will." He answered. "Come on Cody. Serena won't go easy on us if we're late."

"No, she won't." Cody stated. "Come on, last one there clears up the equipment afterwards."

"You're on!" Spike answered, following him out of the house. Vicky just watched them go, with a huge smile on her face. As she turned back into the room, she saw Mal, Melanie and Jimmy all grinning at her.

"What?" She asked them.

"We all saw that." Melanie told her. "We saw the way you two were with each other."

"Would you all just quit it?" She asked them. They all just shook their heads. "You guys really suck, do you know that?"

Meanwhile, back at the Shiba House, Terry had showered and gotten changed, before getting changed. He found his sister in the kitchen, heating him some leftovers from their own meal.

"How's the punishment training?" She asked him.

"Tiring." Terry answered her. "How's the wrist?"

"It's feeling a lot better." Mia assured him. "I have another appointment with the hospital to check it out."

"That smells good." Terry complimented her cooking. "I guess you have learned a lot since coming out here."

"I still can't believe how awful my cooking was." She chuckled. Terry just shrugged.

"Well, it did have its advantages." He commented. "I was able to eat just about anything after all those years of your cooking."

"I guess an immunity to poison could come in handy." Mia answered as she heaped a mass of rice, vegetables and chicken onto a plate. "Just please tell me you learned to get along with Serena."

"We have an understanding now." Terry told her. "In fact, I'm working on a little project with her right now."

"Oh, why don't I like the sound of that?" Mia asked him. "Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid."

"Please, you know me!" He answered as Mike and Emily came into the house behind her, heading for their room. Mia just gave him a judgemental glare.

"That's why I asked." She said a little harshly.

Suddenly, she heard a hellish scream coming from Mike and Emily's room. A short time later, Emily ran into the room, and leapt up on the counter, cowering on top of it. Mike was only a short way behind her, also looking somewhat frightened.

"Emily, what is it?" Mia asked her.

"R...r...r...r..." She started to stammer.

"Emily, calm down." Mia told her. "Just take a deep breath, and tell me..."

"Rat!" She screamed. Mia just looked to Terry, who just started laughing. He pulled out a camera, and started to film her.

"You did this?" Emily shrieked.

"Gotcha!" He chuckled. "Oh, and Serena says, this will teach you not to snitch."

"That rat...it's huge!" Mike protested. Mia looked around as she saw his eyes growing wide. Sure enough, the rat was the size of a Doberman. Looking around for something to eat, Terry allowed it to get so close, before using his Samuraizer to hit it with a power symbol, at which it shrunk back to regular size. It just looked around, seeming to be more than a little confused. He picked it up, and placed it back in its box.

"G...g...get it out of here!" Emily protested. Terry just shook his head.

"The pet store's closed, so Maurice will have to stay here for the time being." He assured her. "Don't worry though; I'll keep him out of your stuff from now on."

"You better!" Emily said, sitting cross-legged on the counter and crossing her arms over her chest bad-temperedly. "That was so mean!"

"You even got me scared with that thing!" Mike commented. "That was pretty good."

"Anyway, time to get down Emily." Mia told her. Emily shook her head defiantly.

"I'm not going anywhere until that...thing is out of the house!" Emily protested. Terry got a wicked grin on his face, and held the box closer. Emily shrieked and leapt off the counter, running away as fast as she could. Mia just looked to Terry and shook her head.

"You really had to do it didn't you?" She asked him. He just nodded his head.

"Just wait until you see what I have planned for Kevin." He told her.

"I don't think I want to know." Mia responded.


	17. The War Ends

The last day, the end was in sight at last. That was all Serena could think as she started getting dressed for training. It was finally the final day for her and Terry on punishment drills.

She had since come to accept that Jayden had a point, and was right to punish her. Terry wasn't a bad guy really. He was a goof, and at times she wondered if he fully thought things through before he did them, but spending so much time with him, she had started to realise that he really did have a good heart. She had found him spending a lot of time apologising profusely for what had happened with her sister to everyone, and unlike her, he had accepted his punishment without any question.

She went to her laptop, and hit the replay button, letting out a little laugh. Terry had uploaded the video of Emily's freak-out at the rat joke to YouTube, carefully edited to exclude the rat itself, since he had grown it to unnatural size with his Symbol Power. To anyone watching, it would be just a standard video of a girl over-reacting to seeing a rat. It cheered her up, and hearing Terry's laugh just completed the picture. It just seemed right to hear him laughing instead of apologising all the time.

She closed up the laptop, and made her way outside, finding everyone assembled. By everyone, for the first time in a while, that meant everyone. Jayden was there, even Ji was there. She did, however, notice that Terry and herself were the only ones in training gear.

"We've had a rather turbulent time as of late." Ji told them. "And, after things that have happened recently, I would have to say that as of late, we haven't quite spent the time together we perhaps should have."

He looked to Jayden who just smiled. He wasn't entirely cool with the whole situation, but he was a lot happier now that he had actually talked things through with Ji and Brenda. Ji had also made some concessions, realising that while he had responsibilities to Brenda and the baby, he now realised how Jayden had felt that he was being shut out of the only family he had known for most of his life.

"Terry, Serena, go and get changed." He told them. "We're all going to Antonio's favourite fishing spot, and we're all going to spend the day together."

The Rangers all cheered and smiled. They had spent a fair amount of time together, with Xandred and his cronies out of the picture for the foreseeable future, they had plenty of time to do so, but this was the first time in a while they would ALL be going together. Serena and Terry just grinned and high-fived each other.

"That's great!" Terry announced. "So what is this, time off for good behaviour?" He asked. Ji shook his head.

"Well...not quite." He told them. "Call it soft time."

"We're all taking the SUV." Jayden said with a wicked smile. "You can carry the gear."

He pointed to a corner of the yard. It wasn't everything, they were sure most of the stuff like gas tanks for Antonio's grill, the grill itself, his rods, which he'd never allow them to touch anyway, and suchlike were already loaded, but a lot of stuff like the food, books, toys and suchlike were piled up near a couple of backpacks. Jayden patted them both on the shoulder. "Don't take too long."

As they went back into the house, Jayden and the others all got into the SUV, driving off. Terry looked to Serena as they split off to head to their rooms to change.

"What do you say once we deal with my brother-in-law, the Red Guy gets it?" He asked her. She got a wicked smirk on her face. She didn't know why, but being around Terry really did bring out a mischievous side in her that was normally not so strong. It was the part of her that loved to tease her little sister, the part of her that loved to torment Mike and keep him terrified by constantly reminding him that she was there when he was getting a little too amorous with her baby sister. She just nodded.

"Definitely." She answered. With that, she headed to her room to change. She started to lay out her clothing, and as she changed, she couldn't help trying to imagine what Terry was cooking up in his twisted little mind. In his own way, he was brilliant. He was clearly a lot smarter than many gave him credit for, something that he seemed to encourage since it made it easier to deceive others, something that was an advantage for a hopeless prankster like him.

She was just finishing pulling on her t-shirt, when she heard a little whistle. She turned her head, but snapped back.

"Terry, for God's sake doors!" She chastised him. He just turned away.

"Um...you forgot to close it." He told her. "That's...that's some tattoo."

"Yeah, that was a little present from Daisuke." Serena told him, starting to feel her face flushing warm in embarrassment. "He gave it to me to help me in my quest for Kasamune. My mom went apeshit when she saw it. I heard her yelling in Japanese, and it wasn't pretty."

"I'll bet it wasn't." He answered. "So...it's special?"

"The ink was imbued with dragon's blood, so it's got a strong magical resistance." She explained. "I can re-route energy attacks..."

"That's cool and all, but I meant, it's special to you?" He asked her. Serena stopped and thought about it for a moment. She hadn't really thought about it in some time. She hadn't needed to use her ability in some time, and it had been given to her some time ago. She had to think about it for some time before she could answer.

"Yeah, I guess it is." She answered as she finished getting dressed, fixing her hair. "That quest was a big thing for me. It was the biggest contribution I've made to the war. It kind of feels like...like it was something I could do for Emily."

"You do that a lot you know." Terry told her. She just turned to him, looking confused. "You keep bringing everything back to Emily."

"She's my sister." Serena reminded him. "She took on a lot for me, she..."

"Hey, I get it. You guys are close." Terry said defensively, holding up his hands. "I remember having that with Mia once. I know we've gotten closer recently, but I really do miss that."

"I'm sure you'll get it back." Serena assured him. He just smiled.

"Do you really think so?" He asked her. Serena just nodded.

"I'm a bit of an authority on pain in the ass younger siblings." She chuckled. "We big sisters miss them too."

"I'll start packing." He told her. "Thanks."

Serena looked out a jacket as he left. As she pulled it on though, she saw the octagonal Power Disk on her dresser, and could swear she heard a gentle hum coming from it. Picking it up, she could feel some kind of gentle vibration from it, and could swear it was even emitting a weak glow. Given her punishment training, she hadn't had time to train with it in a while, and this was the first reaction she had seen from it other than having it punt her several feet through the air. She didn't know why, but as she heard Terry in the yard, packing stuff up, she stuffed it into her pocket, before rushing out to help.

In another part of town, Melanie was making her way to work. As a result of a disciplinary when she was caught yelling at Mal when he first found out about her financial situation, she had not worked at the Chicken Shack in some time, but she had since gotten another job at a local swimming pool selling tickets. It paid slightly better, and by virtue of the fact most of her former "friends" lived in the part of town where pretty much every house had its own pool, so it was unlikely she was going to run into any of them.

She was grateful to her new friends for everything. In the couple of months since her world had pretty well come crashing down around her ears, they had been nothing but kind to her. They had protected her from the worst of the scorn, they had supported her when she felt low, and they had even accepted her as one of their own.

Yesterday had been a day she had been dreading. Her father's trial had concluded, and he was awaiting sentencing for numerous counts of fraud. She hated what he had done to others, and for what his actions had meant to her own family. She couldn't face the drama and the media circus that was likely to surround one of the city's biggest trials. Her friends had even helped her through that. They had spent the day at Vicky's place watching DVD's to keep her away from televisions and newspapers, anything likely to upset her. When she got home, her mother had only been interested in dealing with the dinner and the chores, her own way of coping. So far, she had managed to avoid it all.

As she got to the pool though, the term 'so far' became all too ironic. She could see the vans bearing the logos of various news networks waiting outside. The owner and a few workers were outside; trying to keep them at bay, but it was a losing battle. Someone saw Melanie and suddenly the tide of people turned and ran towards her.

"Melanie, Melanie..." They all started calling out as they jockeyed for position, surrounding her to bombard her with questions. They were all calling out her name like they were friends, but she had never met any of them before. One of the senior life guards, Lenny, grabbed her and yanked her hard, dragging her through the crowd, shielding her as best as he could.

"She's fifteen years old, she's a kid!" Lenny roared.

"Many of the victims had children younger..."

"Get out of here you blood-sucking parasites!" He snapped.

"Just get her inside!" The owner stated.

"But..."

"This is enough of a circus; just get her out of sight!" The owner reiterated. He turned back to the camera crews, continuing to try his best to disperse them and order them off the property. Melanie knew that it was inevitable she would hear about the case, but this was exactly what she didn't need. Lenny got her into the office and sat her down on a chair, looking to her apologetically.

"I'm sorry about that." He told her. "We tried to get rid of them, but as long as they're on public property there's nothing we can do."

"What's going on?" Melanie asked him. "What do they think I can tell them?"

"They're journalists, they don't care about facts." He told her. "They only care about reactions."

"So they came here to harass me at work?" She asked him.

"Well, the thing is, a lot of people are pretty pissed off about what happened yesterday." He told her sympathetically. "They kind of want to milk this for all its worth."

"What are they milking?" Melanie asked him. "My dad was sentenced yesterday. The case is over. Why do they have to get in my face about it?"

"You...you don't know what happened do you?" He asked her. Melanie just shook her head. Lenny sighed and looked in the trash for a newspaper. He handed it to her, at which she started to read. "It's not over as far as some people think. In fact, a lot of people think..."

"Four years?" She screamed. She didn't know much about the legal process, but even Melanie knew that fraud on the scale her father was involved in was a very serious crime. The sentence should have been far longer than that. Lenny just nodded.

"He turned State's Witness." He informed her. "He cut a deal with the DA in exchange for acting as a witness in the trials of a lot of his colleagues..."

"What the hell does this have to do with me?" She yelled, throwing the paper away. "Why am I being made to answer for what he did? What do they think I can do?"

"Melanie, it's not fair, I feel that way too." Lenny told her. "The thing is, people aren't really thinking too logically about this. A lot of people lost a lot..."

"Yeah, I'm one of them!" She sobbed. Lenny felt uncomfortable.

"I know that, but some people think he got off lightly." He told her. Just then, the owner came in.

"Mr. Archer, I'm sorry..."

"I am too." He told her. "We tried to deal with this, but they just wouldn't go."

"I had nothing to do with this, I swear!" Melanie told him.

"She really didn't, she only found out about the sentence now." Lenny assured him, showing him the paper. "I guess you can't blame her for avoiding the press yesterday."

"Well, I wish I could avoid them today." Mr. Archer stated. "Lenny, could you leave us please?"

"Mr Archer..."

"Please." He repeated. Lenny just left, at which Mr Archer sat with Melanie.

"Melanie, you have to appreciate that this..."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She interrupted him. "You're sacking me?"

"Well, you are still in your probationary period, so strictly speaking I'm just electing not to extend your contract." He informed her.

"Well that makes it so much better!" Melanie said sarcastically. "Please, I really need this job!"

"So do I." Mr Archer told her. "And it's kind of hard to run a pool when no one's coming in because there's a media circus on the door step."

Melanie just seethed in anger as she realised that once again her dad's crimes had cost her. Mr Archer just reached into the till, looking out some money, putting it in front of her.

"That covers what I owe you, plus a little extra for...well..." He said awkwardly. "I'm really sorry Melanie."

She wanted to pick up the money and throw it straight in his face, to tell him where to shove his sympathy, but her financial situation was such she couldn't afford such pride. Instead, she just swallowed her pride, and put the cash in her pocket.

"I'll have Lenny drive you home." He told her. "I really am sorry..."

"Yeah, so am I." Melanie reiterated as he guided her outside. She could see the reporters outside the gates, and was happy that at least they couldn't enter without risking getting charged with trespassing. It gave her a little respite while Mr Archer talked to Lenny and explained to him what was going on. All she could do as she watched Lenny go to collect his coat and his car keys was struggle not to start crying.

At the creek, the Rangers were having an altogether different experience, enjoying the day. Serena and Terry were still busy doing punishment drills, doing chin-ups from a tree branch, while the others enjoyed a variety of activities, but at least they had been included in the picnic. Jayden and Antonio were fishing, while Emily, Mike and Kevin were playing a game of catch. Ji was keeping Mia company as she read, taking her through some ancient texts, since she had now pretty much finished all the other books in the house, and so was starting on Ji's private collection, requiring him to let her know what she could read.

Serena and Terry kept watch as Kevin staggered steadily closer to the banks of the creek, waiting for their opportunity. As he got to the edge though, they both looked a little disappointed. They both dropped to the bank.

Kevin saw this and turned to them, smiling.

"It takes more than that." He stated, gesturing to the little ledge he was standing on. It shouldn't have been able to support his weight, indeed it wasn't. It was only on closer inspection that they saw a subtle yellow glow around it. Serena looked across, seeing the Samuraizer in Emily's hand. Kevin stepped off the ledge. "Of course..."

At that point, Emily flipped the Samuraizer away. All the Rangers looked around as the ground fell away beneath Serena and Peter's feet, dumping both of them in the stream. Everyone started laughing, even, eventually, Terry and Serena as they pulled themselves out, soaking wet and covered in mud.

"Sorry, but he is my fiancé." Mia said with a shrug.

"And I REALLY hate rats." Emily sniggered.

"Well, I think perhaps it is nearly time we were thinking about heading home." Ji chuckled, happy to see his family all so playful and cheerful after all the recent turmoil. "Start packing up. I think running home like that will be enough to finish their punishment."

"Wait, you expect us to go home like this?" Serena asked.

"You don't think you're getting in the car like that do you?" Kevin laughed evilly. Serena and Peter just nodded in agreement as the others packed up. Serena just turned to Terry as he continued to laugh.

"Will you quit laughing?" She asked him.

"Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself..."

"I'm serious!" She giggled, finding it hard to keep a straight face as she saw him covered in mud and water. "Oh to hell with it, we did kind of deserve it."

"I never thought I'd see the day I'd call a tap-out in a prank war." He told her with a shrug. "I guess symbol power does make them hard to top when it comes to pranks."

"I guess so." Serena replied. Terry just shoved her gently as the others drove away, at which Serena turned and shoved him back. They continued this for a little while, before Terry stumbled and fell back into the stream. Serena couldn't stop laughing.

"Well, I guess at least you aren't kicking my ass." He told her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..." She started to say, offering him a hand. He seized it, pulling hard and bringing her into the stream beside him. She stood up, looking at him incredulously.

"NOW we're even!" He chuckled.

"Oh, you are so dead!" Serena screeched. She threw herself at him, wrestling with him until they both ended up in the mud on the banks. Serena slipped, landing on top of him.

The laughter subsided somewhat, and Serena found herself looking at him, his clothing stuck to him, his face only a little way from hers. She could see him breathing hard, and could feel the movement in his chest as she lay there. She found her eyes drawn to his.

Terry looked back to her, and for a long time, or at least, what seemed like a long time, they just stared at each other. Eventually, Serena just got off him, shoving him into the mud. Terry could see a shift in her mood, and the smile fell from her face, but unlike the last time back at the Shiba House, the look wasn't anger. He could see her starting to tremble.

"Serena?" He asked her. She just turned and sprinted away. "Serena!"

He slipped and struggled to regain his footing, and by the time he did, she was gone. Terry just ran a hand through his hair, resigning himself to the fact that by now, she could be anywhere. All he could do was head back to the house, and hope she would do the same, or that someone could find her.

Meanwhile, in a clearing a little way off, Serena stopped, resting against a tree. She couldn't stop trembling, but she didn't particularly feel cold. Her lip trembled, and she felt tears start to run down her cheeks. She slid down the tree, ending up sitting on the ground.

As she did so, she felt something digging into her, and she shifted to make herself more comfortable. She pulled out the octagonal Power Disk, finding that it was glowing, more noticeably brightly than before, and vibrating so much she could feel it all the way down her arm. She knew that all Power Disks and Symbol Power were connected to their emotions, but more than any other, this one was strongly tied to hers. The disk was reacting to what had just happened. It was her last connection to Stephen, and it was obvious what was wrong. She just hugged it close to her chest and broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry Stephen." She sobbed. "Please forgive me!"

Fin.


End file.
